Now, I’m not a huge Caesar fan – I don’t really enjoy Clamto OR Worcestershire Sauce, but I’d be pretty surprised if I met more than two friends that felt the same. Caesar’s are HUGE in Canada.

A Caesar is a vodka cocktail drink that is served on the rocks with the following ingredients:

The Caesar was invented by bartender Walter Chell at the Owl’s Nest Bar in the Calgary Inn in Calgary, Alberta in 1969, to accompany the opening of a new restaurant. In its original form, the drink contained tomato juice and mashed clams; Clamato had only just been released by the 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. (exciting!)

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.

Next time you’re out on the town, ask the bartender to mix you up a Caesar and let me know what you think. You might be surprised at how tasty you find it…

xox