The Canadian Clamato Classic
A savory cocktail of clamato juice and vodka and a bit of extra seasoning. The Canadian Caesar is then garnished with a crunchy little nosh making it a classic cocktail for brunch, lunch and cocktail hour. Yum!
I can't lay claim to the iconic Canadian classic Caesar cocktail but I can share the recipe so you can easily enjoy this deliciousness! For a sweet Canadian treat, try our iconic Nanaimo bars or these Canadian butter tarts.
Want more cocktails? Try my Homemade Margaritas, Gin Mojito, Lavender Lemon Drop Martini With Cocktail Sugar Rim or Canadian Empress Gin Cocktail Recipes.
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Ingredients
The star ingredient is of course Clamato juice which is distinctly Canadian and the main distinction between the American Bloody Mary and the Canadian Caesar. Clamato is much more savoury and flavourful than plain tomato juice so if you are in elsewhere in the world and only have tomato juice, you may try mixing in a few teaspoons of salty clam juice to replicate the flavour.
Seasoning your Caesar is simple with Worcestershire for more depth, tobasco for a spicy kick and a squeeze of fresh lime juice for bright acidity. (I find them salty enough but add a little celery salt to the drink if you want it even saltier.)
Garnishes For A Caesar
And then there is the garnish. Traditionally, a stick of celery was the garnish, then came spicy pickled green beans (I think Caitie's Hot Dilled Beans and pickled vegetables are the best!). Now almost everything savoury and umami has been tried from strips of bacon, shrimp, pickled vegetables and ultimate Caesars garnished with a whole meal on a stick! A Caesar can be a cocktail and an appetizer in one!
Ideas for garnishing your Caesar: Pickled beans, asparagus, garlic scapes or carrots, candied bacon, shrimp skewers, tomato+basil+bocconcini skewers, green olives, pepperoni sticks.
Variations
Flavour alternatives: Black pepper vodka or sake instead of vodka, horseradish, dill pickle juice or basil are fun flavours to try if you want something a little different.
Expert Tips For Making The Best Cocktails
An excellent and often overlooked step for making stellar cocktails is ice.
A cold drink should be made as cold as possible. Quality ice will give you a stand out cocktail every time. Use big cubes so there is less melted ice in your drink and use lots, even pre chill your glasses if possible.
If you really want to impress your guests, boil your water and cool before freezing to make crystal clear ice cubes without the cloudy looking air bubbles.
Related Recipes
Cheers from Canada! Please share your favourite Caesar garnishes below, I'd love to hear your favourites 🙂
ox Sabrina
Canadian recipes, check out my 8 ways to celebrate Canada Day!
If you have any questions or comments, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. I try to answer any recipe related questions quickly as I know you might be in the middle of making it.
Also check out my FREE PRINTABLE meal planner to make menu planning and grocery shopping a breeze and my shopping guide. And if you like this recipe, I would love it if you give it a star rating in the recipe card.
Cheers and happy cooking, Friends! Sabrina
📖 Recipe
Classic Canadian Caesar
Ingredients
- 3 Lime Wedges
- Celery Salt for rims
- Cubed Ice to fill 2 glasses
- 10 oz Clamato Juice
- 4 oz Vodka
- 8 dashes each Worcestershire + Tobasco or to taste
- 1 Celery Stick, PIckle Beans or other garnish or more, add as many garnishes as you like.
Instructions
- Place celery salt in a saucer. Cut slit through middle of 1 lime wedge and slide it around the rim of 2 tall cocktail glasses. Then dip glass rim in the celery salt to coat the top edge.
- Fill glasses loosely with cubed ice. Pour 5 oz Clamato and 2 oz vodka into each glass. Add 4 dashes of Worcestershire and 4 dashes of Tobasco to each glass and stir to mix.
- Cut slit through middle of remaining 2 lime wedges and set them on the edge of each glass. Guests can squeeze the lime wedge into their own Caesar to further season it to taste.Add your celery stick or other garnishes and enjoy.
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