Is there anything better, or more Canadian, than a Caesar? At first glace the concept seems bizarre, but this creative concoction easy trumps the Bloody Mary, a poor excuse from our neighbours to the south.
The Caesar comes from humble origins. In 1969, a bartender named Walter Chell was working at the Calgary Inn when he was asked to create a new cocktail for the opening of Marco’s Italian Restaurant. As an Italian immigrant, Walter took inspiration from a dish of his homeland and hand-mashed the liquid from baby clams and mixed the juice with tomato, alcohol and seasoning in a boozy tribute to pasta vongole. It took Walter three months to perfect the recipe, but once it was out in the wild, it skyrocketed in popularity.
It’s a cocktail so beloved that we have a national day of celebration, National Caesar Day, which falls on May 17th. This year, celebrate National Caesar Day by making the best Caesar’s you’ve ever had. Whether you like them spicy or not, these six recipes have got you covered for all your Caesar needs:
Hot Head Caesar
The official Caesar for National Caesar Day, this comes from legendary actor Dan Aykroyd.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tsp chopped garlic
- 1 Tsp Sriracha Hot Sauce
- 2 Quarter Wedges Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
- 1.5 oz Crystal Head Vodka
- 4 oz Mott’s Clamato
Method: Rim high ball glass with spicy seasoning of your choice, add garlic, hot sauce, lime juice, Crystal Head vodka and muddle. Fill glass with ice, top with Mott’s Clamato and stir.
Bacon Caesar
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Bacon Infused Vodka
- 2 dashes Bacon Flavoured Hot Sauce
- 3 dash Worcestershire
- 5 grinds Fresh Cracked Salt and Pepper
- 4 oz. Caesar Cocktail Mix
Method: Rim a highball glass with citrus and cracked black pepper. Add ice to the brim of the glass. Add the ingredients in order. Stir well to mix up the cocktail and garnish with a strip of crispy bacon.
Fireworks Caesar
Ingredients:
- 3 dashes hot sauce
- 2 grinds fresh cracked salt and black peppe
- 1⁄2 jalapeño pepper (seeds optional for extra heat)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1⁄2 green onion
- 1 oz. Vodka
- 4 oz. Caesar Cocktail Mix
Method: In a mixing glass, muddle everything but the Vodka and Caesar cocktail mix. Add Vodka and caesar cocktail mix, and stir well to mix and spread flavours around. Rim a highball glass with celery salt and fill to the top with ice. Strain the mixture into the highball glass, and garnish with a cocktail prawn.
Cucumber Caesar
Ingredients:
- 4 slices cucumber
- 2 dashes Tabasco pepper sauce
- 3 grinds fresh cracked salt and black peeper
- 3 dashes Fresh Cracked Salt and Pepper
- 1 oz Vodka
- 4 oz. Caesar Cocktail Mix
Method: In a mixing glass, muddle everything but the vodka and caesar cocktail mix. Add the vodka and caesar cocktail mix, and stir well to mix and spread the flavours around. Rim a highball glass with salt and black pepper and fill to the top with ice. Strain the mixture into the highball glass, and garnish with a slice of cucumber and basil.
Thai Mango Caesar
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Vodka
- 1⁄2 barspoon Sriracha hot sauce
- 2 grinds fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 1⁄2 oz mango nectar
- 2 1⁄2 oz Caesar Cocktail Mix
Method: Rim a highball glass with citrus and black pepper. Fill the glass to the top with ice. Add the ingredients in the order listed. Stir well to mix up the cocktail and garnish with a fresh slice of mango.
Grey Goose Beet Caesar
Ingredients:
- 1.5 Grey Goose l’Orange
- 1 blood orange
- 1 oz beet root juice
- 0.5 oz lemon juice
- 3-4 dashes of tabasco
- 3-4 dashes of Worcester
- 3 oz caesar mix
Method: Rim highball glass with salt and pepper. Fill glass 2/3 of ice and add ingredients in order. Garnish with a sprig of parsley.
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