Caesar (cocktail)

As a Canadian I like sharing aspects about Canada that are unique, especially Canadian cuisine. The Caesar cocktail is a good example of a uniquely Canadian drink. Born in Canada it has remained widely popular in Canada to earn the well deserved title of Canada's National Cocktail.

Caesar (cocktail)

The Caesar cocktail was created by Walter Chell at the Owl's Nest Bar in the Calgary Inn (now Calgary Westin Hotel) in Calgary, Alberta in 1969. It was to celebrate the opening of the new Marco's restaurant. The original cocktail contained tomato juice and mashed clams. The same year with the help of Chell the Mott's company began producing Clamato which is now used to make the cocktail. In the 2000's Mott's began printing the recipe on the Clamato labels including those sold in the USA however the cocktail never caught on so remains mainly a Canadian cocktail. Like so many popular Canadian foods (poutine, peameal bacon, Diana® sauce, white vinegar on fries, ketchup chips and etc) there may be very limited availability in US towns directly on the USA- Canada border but for the most part unless an ex-patriot living outside of Canada makes them they remain as only part of Canadian cuisine.

Pictured is a Caesar I enjoyed at one of out favourite boating haunts. I ordered it extra spicy meaning extra Tobasco® and pepper were added. This drink can also be ordered as a virgin cocktail meaning the vodka is omitted. Either way, the Caesar is an excellent cocktail!

Caesar (cocktail)

6 oz. Clamato juice
1½ oz. Vodka
2 dashes Tobasco® hot pepper sauce
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
celery salt
freshly ground pepper
lime/lemon wedge
1 crisp celery stalk
3 large stuffed olives (optional)
1 quarter dill pickle spear (optional)

Rim a highball glass with the lime wedge. Turn the glass upside down into a saucer with celery salt to coat well. Fill the glass to about the ¾ mark with ice cubes. Pour in the vodka then Clamato juice. Add the hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce and freshly ground pepper. Place the celery stalk or dill pickle spear and straw in the glass. Thread 3 large stuffed olives onto a bar pick and place across the rim of the glass. Serve.