Really-a caesar that you can drink!

Bloody Caesar:                   In a highball measure:

1 oz. vodka

5 oz clamato juice

3 drops of Tobasco

2 drops of Worcestershire

salt and pepper

garnish with a lemon wedge (celery is optional)

Rim top of glass with celery salt; build ingredients over spiced ice cubes.

Serving wine with your meal:

Caesar salad is a very spicy, strong tasting dish, so you don’t want to serve one of your delicate wines with it.  It will blow the wine away. With a salad it is okay to serve either a white, or a red. Just be careful if it’s a salad with vinegar, as the vinegar may carry over into the wine.  A wine with a solid, zippy acidity and some sweetness is a good match.  Maybe it would be preferable for some to serve beer, and not wine.

Virgin Caesar: prepare the cocktail exactly the same way, but leave out the vodka.

“I have been experimenting now for quite a while in making the perfect spicy Caesar.  I enjoy some spice in my food and drink, and having said that I discovered that first and foremost before I made my drink I needed to prepare my pickles so that they will compliment the drink.

I purchase a large jar of dills, and to it I add approximately 10 cloves of peeled garlic, and 3 tablespoons of dried chili peppers. I allow that to age for about 2 to 3 weeks. Then they and the juice are ready to use in my drink. (So you’ll have to plan ahead)”

In a tall, iced mug I add 1-1/2 oz. of vodka                                         5 oz. of Mott’s Clamato “The Works”                                                    3 drops of Tobasco                                                                                   3 drops of Worcestershire Sauce                                                        Rim the glass with a pinch of Caesar seasoning (I put it into the drink only because that is my preference)                                        1/4 tsp. of Woodman’s* extra hot horseradish (the best horseradish I have ever tried)                                                               2 tsp of the pickle juice                                                                            A sliced pickle of course                                                                          A stick of celery                                                                                        A lemon wedge                                                                                        Top it off with ice, stir and enjoy!!!

“I have found that the key to this masterpiece is the pickle juice, the marinated pickle, and of course the horseradish.”

*Kosher product, if not available any extra-hot horseradish will do.

The Canadian Story Behind the Cocktail:The Bloody Caesar was invented in  1969 to celebrate the opening a Marco’s, a new restaurant in Calgary, Alberta. Bartender Walter Chell developed the original cocktail after three months of exploring different recipes. He came up with a spicy drink made of Clamato juice, vodka, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and a dash of oregano. It is Canada’s #1 selling cocktail, with more than 250 million sold each year.                

The American Story Behind the Cocktail: It all happened one night in a Las Vegas bar. Much-loved crooner Tony Bennett was performing there, having had one too many, and in need of something to perk himself up.  A creative bartender at Caesar’s Palace hotel made this for him -  hence the name. Like Tony Bennett, it’s a favourite of all who have tried it.

Weary after a long day at battle Julius prepares a Caesar salad, and inadvertently forgets to coddle his egg. Again, he is faced with a long battle against a most formidable foe...if only he had heeded the soothsayer’s warning to “beware the eggs of March”.

Sault Ste. Marie Bloody Caesar:

Those of you who are familiar with the Caesar Cocktail will recognize some extreme variations in the way that the cocktail is prepared if you visit Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, or its sister city across the river - Sault, Ontario. First, it is served with a quartered dill pickle as a garnish along with the usual stick of celery. Look at this recipe and you’ll see that the pickle isn’t the only extreme variation. True Bloody Caesar fans will fall in love with this unique version of the classic, and may never want to go back to the usual. Many thanks to the reader who emailed this to me. Please note it is written using the excellent description that he sent. Cheers!

Who do you think invented the Bloody Caesar Cocktail?

Surely Caesar