Did you know that the Caesar is, unofficially, Canada’s national cocktail? It’s true. One might imagine that Canada’s boozy beverage of choice would be some maple-syrup-laden concoction named with a clever play on the word “beaver.” Instead, the Great White North has proven that it’s crazy for a savoury combination of vodka, spices, tomato, and clam juice. Yes, you read that correctly: clam juice is the unique ingredient that sets the Caesar apart from its American cousin, the Bloody Mary.
Apparently, some pioneering Canuck tasted the classic tomato-and-vodka cocktail and thought to himself, “Hmmm not bad, but what this really needs is some clam juice.” (To which I imagine the reply might have been, “How do you juice a clam, anyway?”)
Despite the fact that this clammy cocktail has reached the highest level of national fame, one never quite knows what to expect when ordering a Caesar. Unless you’re ordering one outside of Canada then you can be sure to get a confused stare of disgust. But here, with myriad variations like the addition of horseradish and Tabasco ordering a Caesar is often a mysterious adventure.
However, the real creativity of Caesar creation is in the garnish. The traditional version comes with a stalk of celery, but that’s proving to be all too dull for the modern mixologist. Throughout Victoria, there is an epidemic of outlandish Caesar garnishes, and it only seems to be spreading.
Some places, like Spoon’s Diner and The Flying Otter, opt for a simple pickled vegetable. Beans, asparagus, plain old cucumber: if it’s been brined, it’s fit for a Caesar. Others seem to be treating the Caesar as less of a drink than an alcoholic appetizer. Moxie’s serves up a tiny tumbler of drink and tops it with a skewer of olive, marinated onions, and a ball of mozzarella.
If the Caesar hasn’t already distinguished itself with its spicy reputation as being decidedly unfeminine, local bartenders will try to convince you with numerous attempts at manning up the cocktail. And what’s manlier than meat?
The Fifth Street Bar and Grill’s Cowboy Caesar is garnished with a chicken wing, while breakfast mecca Jam makes use of the manliest meat of all, dunking a strip of thick-cut bacon right in the glass. For the more refined, and perhaps adventurous, palate, the Seafood Caesar at Ferris’ Oyster Bar comes with yup a raw oyster on the half shell and a cooked prawn.
Considering the drink’s star ingredient, it’s a wonder we’re not seeing the city overrun with the likes of a Sushi Caesar, heavy on the clam.