| Caesar | |
| Type: | Cocktail |
|---|---|
| Primary alcohol by volume: | |
| Served: | on the rocks |
| Standard garnish: | stalk of celery and wedge of lime |
| Standard drinkware: |
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| Commonly used ingredients: |
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| Preparation: | Rim glass first with Lime wedge and then with celery salt. |
A Caesar, sometimes referred to as a Bloody Caesar,[1] after the similar Bloody Mary, is a cocktail popular mainly in Canada. It typically contains vodka, clamato (a blend of tomato juice and clam broth), Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and is served on the rocks in a large, celery salt-rimmed glass, and typically garnished with a stalk of celery and wedge of lime. A common nickname for a version without vodka is "Virgin Caesar". In the U.S. it is known as a clamdigger, and many Canadians living abroad prize a bartender who can mix a good Caesar. It is thus popularly known as the "official cocktail" of Canada. During the early 2000s, Mott's even printed the Caesar recipe on bottles of the Clamato juice sold in the United States, but the cocktail drink remains relatively unknown there.
History
The cocktail was invented by bartender Walter Chell at the Owl's Nest Bar in the Calgary Inn (now Calgary Westin Hotel) in Calgary, Alberta in 1969, to accompany the opening of a new restaurant, Marco's. In its original form, it contained tomato juice and mashed clams; Clamato had only just been released (with the assistance of Chell) by the American Mott's company that very year, and was not yet widely known or available. Starting in 2002, Mott's began marketing pre-mixed Caesars in twelve-ounce bottles. Variations can include substituted or added ingredients, like salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, horseradish, or lemon juice, seasoning salt or lemon pepper (rather than celery salt), a garnish of dill pickled cucumber, spicy pickled green bean or asparagus. Occasionally a prawn (especially in seafood restaurants) or crisp bacon is used as a garnish. Dr. Kevin Wacker later modified the drink using twice the amount of vodka and celery to "Give it some more kick"
References
- Katherine Barber, editor (2004). The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, second edition. Toronto, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-541816-6.
