Birds, Books and Bourbon

In this special Canada Day edition of BB&B, I will be concocting my first (Bloody) Caesar, the “official” cocktail of Canada. Similar to a Bloody Mary, it incorporates clam juice into a mixture of tomato juice, vodka, lime, and spices/sauces with garnishes of your choosing. The Caesar was invented in 1969 by a restaurateur named Walter Chell in Alberta, Calgary to accompany Italian dishes. The original recipe did not include hot sauce, but this is generally accepted as part of the recipe today. You can alter the sauces and quantities to your taste (I happen to be a huge Worcestershire fan). The inventor also admitted to using a dash of oregano as his secret ingredient, so I have elected to throw it in here.

Fun Fact: The Guiness World Record for largest Caesar cocktail is held by Saskatchewan’s Last Mountain Distillery, who in 2019 mixed a 750 L bloody whopper of a drink. The cocktail contained 312 bottles of Mott’s Clamato, 20 bottles of lime juice and 18 bottles of Worcestershire sauce.

Gather your ingredients: Mott’s Clamato juice cocktail, vodka (I used Grey Goose), Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce (I used Sriracha), lime, celery salt, oregano, and olives/charcuterie/pickles/celery stalk for garnish. A highball glass or a mason jar filled with ice after rimming, a citrus squeezer, jigger, and a straw/ stirrer complete the recipe.

I have to admit, I never really loved Bloody Marys, but I really like this cocktail. I don’t get the overly tomato/ vodka taste and the spices are amazingly yummy. It will be a regular staple in my brunch line up from now on. Hope you enjoy as well, and remember to drink responsibly 🙂

FYI: Look out for a special Fourth of July special BB&B this week as well!