Pomegranate Fancy Sour

Pomegranate Fancy Sour is a super fancy Sour with homemade Grenadine, lemon, honey, Gin and Quillaja for luscious texture. The Pomegranate Fancy Sour is a celebration of in season fresh Winter pomegranates and lemons inspired by fancy sour cocktail recipes featuring Grenadine from the 1900’s – I refer to Grenadine Sour Clover Leaf Cocktails such as that of Jacob Grohusko in his Jack’s Manual 4^th Edition (Grohusko 1916: 44; also see 1910a: 39) and Geo. R. Washburne and Stanley Bronner (Washburne & Bronner 1911: 67) in Beverages De-Luxe calling for citrus, Grenadine, Gin, and egg white, garnished with a mint leaf floated on top of the drink. In the Pomegranate Fancy Sour, I have retained the Gin base, and citrus with lemon juice, I split the homemade Grenadine with an extra rich honey syrup and swap out the egg white for Quillaja, borrowed from the Soda Fountain, for a rich foamy texture. I replace the mint leaf of the Clover Leaf Cocktail with an edible golden dehydrated lemon wheel for beautiful decadent styling and vibrant aroma of lemon oil.

What is a Clover Leaf Cocktail? Sweet Mint ‘Clover Leaf’ to Sour ‘Clover Leaf Cocktail’, ‘mint on top’

A Clover Leaf Cocktail is a fancy Gin cocktail with egg white and mint, in early recipes the ‘Clover Leaf’ drink is sweeter, accented with Raspberry and sugar or in later versions Grenadine, and in what came to be a fancy Grenadine Gin Sour called the ‘Clover Leaf Cocktail’, with Grenadine and citrus and a floating mint garnish. The Clover Leaf Cocktail is closely related to the Raspberry Gin Sour Clover Club Cocktail and comes to be known as the ‘same’ as the Clover Club except for a floating garnish of mint.

Sweet Gin Refresher with Mint & Raspberry or Grenadine: ‘Clover Leaf ‘

In early recipes for a ‘Clover Leaf’ Jacob Grohusko in his Jack’s Manual calls for Gin, egg white and mint, in his Jack’s Manual 1^st Edition in 1908 and the Jack’s Manual 2^nd Edition in 1910 with an accent of Raspberry Syrup with sugar and later in the Jack’s Manual 3^rd Edition in 1910 with Grenadine and no sugar (Grohusko 1908: 14; Grohusko 1910a: 23; Grohusko 1910b: 43). The version of the recipe with Grenadine and no sugar is included in the subsequent Jack’s Manual 4^th Edition and Jack’s Manual 5^th Edition (Grohusko 1916: 106; Grohusko 1933: 158-159). Note that there is no citrus in either the Raspberry or Grenadine versions of this recipe – the refreshing qualities of the drink coming instead from the mint and acidity of the Raspberry or Grenadine? The inclusion in all volumes suggests this recipe was of some importance – as does the introductory text in which Jacob Grohusko describes the Clover Leaf as a refreshing fancy drink popular in Philadelphia (Grohusko 1908: 14), he writes of the sweet raspberry and mint Clover Leaf:

“…in summer the demand is for something that will quench the thirst, whether beer, lemonade or gin rickey or some other beverage. The Clover Leaf is said to be popular in the city of brotherly love. Certainly it is decorative, for it has a soft orchid colour, with a rim of white.”

Jacob Grohusko (1908: 14).Jack’s Manual 1^st Edition. J.A. Grohusko: New York.

Grenadine Gin Sour: ‘Clover Leaf Cocktail’, ‘mint on top’

Jacob Grohusko first provides a recipe for a fancy Grenadine Gin Sour named a ‘Clover Leaf Cocktail’ in his 1910 Jack’s Manual 2^nd Edition which calls for an accent of Grenadine combined with lemon and mint (Grohusko 1910a: 39). Eventually Jacob Grohusko in his Jack’s Manual 4^th Edition includes the detailed direction for how to garnish the ‘Clover Leaf Cocktail’ with ‘mint on top’ (Grohusko 1916: 44; for similar also see Grohusko 1933: 56). Another recipe for a Grenadine Sour ‘Clover-Leaf Cocktail’ appears in Geo. R. Washburne and Stanley Bronner’s 1911 Beverages De-Luxe calling for Grenadine and lime, to be garnished with a mint leaf floated on the surface of the drink (Washburne & Bronner 1911: 67).

Related Raspberry Gin Sour: ‘Clover Club Cocktail‘

The Clover Leaf Cocktail is closely related to the more well known Raspberry Gin Sour – the Clover Club Cocktail – calling for lemon, sugar, and an accent of Raspberry Syrup, egg white and Gin. For a detailed history of the Clover Club Cocktail which appears in print circa 1901 see David Wondrich in his article Clover Club in The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails and in Imbibe and Simon Difford’s article Clover Club appearing in Difford’s Guide (Wondrich 2022: 159; Wondrich 2015: 322-324; Difford accessed 2023). For the Waldorf-Astoria recipe for a Clover Club Cocktail see the recipe in Albert Stevens Crockett’s 1931 Old Waldorf Bar Days (Stevens Crocket 1931: 137).

Clover Club Cocktail Variations

In later recipes for the Clover Club Cocktail there are fancy variations. The Clover Club Cocktail in 1910 in Jacob Grohusko’s Jack’s Manual 3^rd Edition calls for a combination of citrus – lime, lemon and orange (Grohusko 1910b: 42). In the Anonymous 1910 101 Drinks and how to Mix Them the Clover Club Cocktail includes Grenadine and lime (Anon. 1910: 4). While in Geo. R Washburne and Stanley Bronner’s 1911 Beverages De-Luxe one version of the Clover Club Cocktail has Grenadine or fresh raspberry depending on the season, to be mixed with lime, and a split base of Gin with French and Italian Vermouth (Washburne & Bronner 1911: 73; for more on these and other variations see Wondrich 2015: 322-324).

Clover Leaf Cocktail the ‘same’ as a Clover Club Cocktail except for the mint garnish

In recipes from 1911 onwards authors may provide both Raspberry Syrup (or fresh raspberries in season) and Grenadine as options for the Clover Club Cocktail. For example one version of the Clover Club Cocktail in Geo R. Washburne and Stanley Bronner’s 1911 Beverages De De-Luxe has the option for using Grenadine or fresh raspberries when in season (Bronner & Washburne 1911: 73), while in David Embury’s 1948 The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks the mixer is given both options to choose from – Grenadine or Raspberry Syrup (Embury 1948: 144). In other recipes such as that of Harry Craddock’s 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book both the Clover Club Cocktail (and Clover Leaf Cocktail) call only for Grenadine (Craddock 1930: 48).

In Clover Club recipes from the 1930’s and 1940’s such as that appearing in Harry Craddock’s 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book and David Embury’s 1948 The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks the Clover Leaf Cocktail is described by authors as the ‘same’ as the Clover Club and is distinguished only by the mint leaf garnish to be floated on the surface of the drink (Craddock 1930: 48; Embury 1948: 144; also see Wondrich 2015: 322-324). David Embury (1948: 144) writes of the Clover Leaf Cocktail in his Clover Club Cocktail recipe in The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks:

“This same cocktail with a small sprig of mint floated on top of the drink is called the Clover Leaf.”

David Embury (1948: 144). The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. Mud Puddle: New York.

Grenadine Sour Clover Leaf Cocktails

There are examples of print recipes for Grenadine Sour Clover Leaf Cocktails starting from 1910-1911 and 1916 calling for citrus, Grenadine, egg white and Gin with a garnish of mint floated on the surface of the drink. Below I provide the two most detailed examples of these recipes that I have found, from Jacob Grohusko appearing in 1916 in his Jack’s Manual 4^th Edition (Grohusko 1916: 44) with detailed garnish instructions – although the recipe itself first appears in 1910 in his Jack’s Manual 2^nd Edition (Grohusko 1910a: 39) – and from Geo. R. Washburne and Stanely Bronner’s 1911 Beverages De-Luxe (Washburne & Bronner 1911: 67).

‘Clover Leaf Cocktail’ 1910, 1916 – Jack’s Manual – Grenadine + Lemon + ‘mint on top’

A recipe for a Sour ‘Clover Leaf Cocktail’ first appears in Jacob Grohusko’s 1910 Jack’s Manual 2^nd Edition (Grohusko 1910a: 39) calling for an accent of Grenadine with lemon, Dry Gin, egg white and mint and is subsequently included in the Jack’s Manual 4^th Edition and those afterwards with slight variations (note  this recipe is not included in the Jack’s Manual 3^rd Edition). In the fuller 1916 version of the recipe Grohusko (Grohusko 1916: 44) reduces the Grenadine to ‘1 teaspoonful’ instead of the earlier ‘1 tablespoon’ (Grohusko 1910a: 39) and provides more detailed instructions for floating the ‘mint on top’ (Grohusko 1916: 44; also see similar 1933: 56). In the 1916 Jack’s Manual 4^th Edition Jacob Grohusko (Grohusko 1916: 44) writes in his more detailed recipe for a ‘Clover Leaf Cocktail’:

“Juice of half a lemon
White of an egg
100% Gordon Dry Gin
1 teaspoonful Grenadine Syrup.
Shake Well. Piece of mint on top, and serve.”

Jacob Grohusko (Grohusko 1916: 44). Jack’s Manual 4^th Edition. J.A. Grohusko: New York.

‘Clover-Leaf Cocktail’ 1911 – Beverages De-Luxe – Grenadine + Lime + ‘Float a Mint Leaf’

There is another example of a Grenadine Sour called a ‘Clover-Leaf Cocktail’ in the 1911 Beverages De-Luxe (Washburne & Bronner 1911: 67) – this “Clover-Leaf Cocktail” includes lime, Grenadine, egg white and Dry Gin and adds, for the first time I have found in a print recipe, the important detail that a mint leaf is to be floated on the surface of the drink:

“Juice of a lime.
Teaspoonful of Grenadine Syrup.
White of one egg.
One-half jigger of Dry Gin.
Shake well in cracked ice and strain
Float a Mint Leaf.”

Geo. R. Washburne & S. Bronner (eds.) (1911: 67). Beverages De-Luxe. The Wine and Spirit Bulletin: Louisville.

How to make a Clover Leaf Cocktail: Shake Well & Strain, ‘Float a Mint Leaf’, ‘mint on top’

Recipes describe the method for making the Clover Leaf Cocktail as shaking well (being an egg drink), straining and serving. By 1911 Geo R. Washburne and Stanley Bronner (Washburne & Bronner 1911: 67) in their Beverages De-Luxe give the detailed instruction to ‘Float a Mint Leaf’ on the surface of the drink which Jacob Grohusko (Grohusko 1916: 44) echoes in 1916 in his Jack’s Manual 4^th Edition in his instruction ‘Piece of mint on top’ which explains in the printed recipe what to do with the mint which is included in his earlier 1910 ingredients for the Clover Leaf Cocktail first appearing in his Jack’s Manual 2^nd Edition (Grohusko 1910a: 39) and in subsequent editions (except the Jack’s Manual 3^rd Edition).

Shake Well & Strain, ‘Float a Mint Leaf’, ‘mint on top’

In the 1911 Beverages De-Luxe (Washburne & Bronner 1911: 67) Geo. R Washburne and Stanley Bronner provide more detailed instructions including how to garnish the Clover Leaf Cocktail with a floating mint leaf on the surface of the drink:

“Shake well in cracked ice and strain
Float a Mint Leaf.”

Geo. R. Washburne and Stanley Bronner (eds). (Washburne & Bronner 1911: 67). Beverages De-Luxe. The Wine and Spirit Bulletin: Louisville.

Jacob Grohusko in his Jack’s Manual 4^th Edition (Grohusko 1916: 56) and subsequent 1933 Jack’s Manual 5^th Edition (Grohusko 1933: 56) includes a similar detailed instruction for making and garnishing the Clover Leaf Cocktail with a floating mint leaf – in the Jack’s Manual 4^th Edition he writes:

“Shake well. Piece of mint on top, and serve.”

Jacob Grohusko (Grohusko 1916: 44). Jack’s Manual 4^th Edition. J.A. Grohusko: New York.

How is the Pomegranate Fancy Sour Different?

The Pomegranate Fancy Sour is inspired by vintage recipes for fancy Clover Leaf Cocktails with citrus and Grenadine with a mint leaf floated on the surface of the drink, such as those appearing in Jacob Grohusko’s Jack’s Manual 4^th Edition (Grohusko 1916: 44; also see 1910a: 39) and Geo. R. Washburne and Stanley Bronner’s (Washburne & Bronner 1911: 67) Beverages De-Luxe. In the Pomegranate Fancy Sour, I use lemon as a souring agent and I split the tart homemade Grenadine made from fresh pomegranates with  extra rich 3:1 Honey Syrup, I retain the Gin base and swap out the egg white for Quillaja, borrowed from the Soda Fountain for rich creamy texture. The homemade Grenadine made from fresh pomegranates has fruity notes from fresh pomegranate juice, floral notes from rose water and complex sugars and acidity from homemade Pomegranate Molasses. The Pomegranate Fancy Sour is a super fancy sour styled in a tall Coupette and garnished with an edible golden lemon for rich visual appeal and heady aroma of lemon oil, in contrast to the mint leaf of the Clover Leaf Cocktail.

Fresh Lemon

The Pomegranate Fancy Sour uses fresh strained lemon juice as a souring agent – I enhance the fresh lemon by the addition of homemade Grenadine that includes from scratch Pomegranate Molasses made from fresh pomegranate and lemon juice cooked with raw sugar to produce concentrated acidity and sugars through reduction. This combination of acids – lemon (citric), pomegranate molasses and grenadine (citric + malic) – makes a super bright sour.

Homemade Grenadine from fresh in season Pomegranates, Pomegranate Molasses, rose water

Homemade Grenadine uses freshly pressed pomegranate juice combined with raw sugar, homemade Pomegranate Molasses and rose water for a bespoke product with notes of complex acidity (citric + malic acid) and jammy cooked sugars along with floral notes from rose water. Pomegranate Molasses is the secret sauce of this homemade grenadine – a simple recipe combining fresh pressed pomegranate juice with lemon juice and raw sugar – reduced through simmering on the stove top to concentrate acidity and sugars. It has a rich and super sour tart flavour that leaves the palate feeling super clean and bright with a juicy mouthfeel. For the full recipe, tips and further uses for homemade Grenadine and Pomegranate Molasses including how to juice fresh pomegranates see my post on Pomegranate Molasses and Syrup.

Honey

Honey adds sweetness and luscious texture to this fancy sour – using a super-rich 3:1 honey syrup gives more texture but melts the honey, so it is easier to mix with.

Floral or Fruity Gin

This Pomegranate Fancy Sour works best with a Gin with floral or fruity notes that connect with the fruity and rose notes in the Grenadine.

Quillaja

Pomegranate Fancy Sour borrows Quillaja or Soap Bark from the Soda Fountain where it is usually  used in soda syrups to add foaminess – here Quillaja adds rich texture and replaces egg white. Quillaja has the advantage of not having an unpleasant odour like egg white, in addition the foam tends to retain its form for longer. It is important to bear in mind that using Quillaja will not markedly increase the volume of your cocktail – I use only a few drops compared to a whole egg white that will increase the volume of your drink. Quillaja is plant based made from the bark of the soap bark and offers an interesting alternative to chick pea water or aquafaba which also has quite a starchy odour equally unpleasant although different to the ‘wet dog’ odour of egg white that benefits from an aromatic garnish such as citrus zest or bitters.

How to make a Fancy Pomegranate Sour: Reverse Dry Shake & Strain, float golden lemon wheel

To make the Fancy Pomegranate Sour I Reverse Dry Shake – adding all the ingredients to a shaker tin with ice, shaking and straining out the ice, shaking again, dry with no ice and straining into a chilled Coupette. Take care when shaking without ice as the seal on your tins may not be as secure. Garnish by floating a golden lemon wheel on top of the drink.

Super Fancy Styling: Coupette, Golden Lemon

I have styled the Pomegranate Fancy Sour in an elegant tall stemmed Coupette which emphasises the smooth creamy texture of the drink and beautifully shows off the golden edible lemon garnish. Hand painted golden dehydrated lemons are so great as they offer a hit of bright citrus oil aroma to finish a drink and look so rich and inviting – they are so fantastic for scooping up cocktail foam at the end of your drink for a foamy and zesty crunch. I have shot the Pomegranate Fancy Sour on a pink background to emphasise the pink pomegranate colour from Pomegranate Molasses and Grenadine and styled the scene with fresh pomegranates, lemons, and red and pink geraniums to highlight the floral notes in the Gin and the Grenadine. This is a seasonal Winter Sour that celebrates pomegranates and lemon at the height of their season and preserved in homemade Pomegranate Molasses and Grenadine for a luscious super bright fancy sour.