Classic Canadian Caesar Cocktail – Canada’s National Drink

Do you know what Canada’s national drink is? If you’re Canadian (or even if not!) you might know it’s the classic Canadian Caesar. No it’s nothing to do with Caesar salad but everything to do with amazing flavors. Imagine a Bloody Mary with clamato juice, lime juice and a few spicy seasonings. Make this cocktail for Canada Day – it goes so well with poutine and other famous Canadian foods.

You will love this – you only need a few Caesar cocktail ingredients and it is fun to get creative with the garnishes.

You might like to try some other Canadian classics such as poutine, East coast lobster rolls, a Halifax donair, or butter tarts.

A Closer Look at the Caesar Cocktail Ingredients

There are plenty of delicious ingredients in a classic Canadian Caesar. The alcohol used in this cocktail for Canada Day is vodka. You can tweak the amount of vodka used, or even omit it for a virgin classic Canadian Caesar. I like Grey Goose but you can use any vodka you want. I bet pepper vodka would be pretty good!

For the lime juice, you can use bottled or fresh, as you prefer. Clamato juice and perhaps a paprika salted rim are added. A combination of Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and Maggi seasoning offers plenty of body and flavour to this Bloody Mary with clamato juice.

What is Maggi Sauce?

Maggi seasoning, sauce or jugo, as it’s known, adds flavour to soups, sauces, salads, marinades, and this classic Canadian Caesar. It offers the depth of flavour you’d expect from soy sauce. Also, it’s salty, rich and deep. A few drops of this added to Canada’s national drink will really enhance the taste.

What is Clamato Juice?

Another differentiator in this recipe versus the Bloody Mary is the use of clamato juice instead of tomato juice. Clamato juice is tomato juice, clam broth and some seasonings. It’s combined with beer in Mexico and one of the famous Caesar cocktail ingredients in Canada.

It never really took off in the United States, although it is available there. The clam flavour is very light. It tastes more like salty tomato juice with just a hint of clams.

How to Rim a Caesar aka Canada’s National Drink

With a Caesar cocktail you will want to salt the rim of the glass. You can use regular salt or celery salt for this or combine the salt with paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper or chilli powder. If you want to do this, run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass and roll it in the salt mixture.

Not sure whether everyone wants a salty rim? Easy – just salt one side. That was they can choose.

What Kind of Glasses to Use

Once your classic Canadian Caesar is ready, you can combine the ingredients in serving glasses. Use whatever type of glasses you want for this. Whether you combine the Caesar cocktail ingredients in a tall and wide glass, wine glass or even a mason jar, it will taste great!

What is a Muddy Caesar?

You might have heard the phrase muddy Caesar. This simply means adding extra hot sauce. This cocktail is so easy to customise so you can add as much or as little as you want.

What is a Dirty Caesar?

If you’re wondering what a dirty Caesar is, this means extra Worcestershire sauce goes into the mix. So if you want extra hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce, you’ll want to order Canada’s national drink muddy and dirty!

National Drink of Canada: Cocktails for Canada Day

Although the choice of what to make for Canada Day is yours and yours alone, this has to go on your to-make list! The classic Canadian Caesar is strictly a Canadian drink.

Although it might be found in the odd Canadian restaurant outside the country, it isn’t that known in other places. Not like martinis, margaritas, sangria, or other well-known cocktails.

What Garnish Should I put on a Caesar Cocktail?

You can have fun decorating this Bloody Mary with clamato juice, or classic Canadian Caesar as it’s known here. Skewers with olives, either green or black (or both) are fun to use.

The garnish on the Caesar cocktail has become an event itself. Restaurants are known for their over the top Caesar garnishes. The list below will give you some ideas if you want to step on the wild side and garnish with more than some pickles and a celery stick. Really anything goes, so don’t hold back!

• Green olives 
• Celery sticks  
• Pickles or gherkins
• Skewers of pickles and green olives 
• Cooked bacon slices
• Mini bagel
• Cherry tomatoes 
• Prawns, shrimp or scallops
• French fries
• Cocktail onions
• Pepperoni sticks
• Cheese cubes
• Peameal bacon
• Cooked green beans
• Mini sliders
• Devilled eggs
• Lobster claw
• Leaves from a romaine heart
• Spears of cooked asparagus
• Lime wedges
• Anything Pickled
• Mini grilled cheese triangle 
• Garlic bread knot 
• Feta stuffed peppers

Basically anything you’d expect with a Bloody Mary is also perfect for this special cocktail for Canada Day. You can go as minimalistic or as crazy as you like with the garnishes! I like to alternate olives and pickle slices on long wooden cocktail skewers. And a celery stalk is perfect for stirring the delicious cocktail. A lime wedge is also good.

Classic Canadian Caesar Cocktail Recipe

So this Canada Day let’s take pride in our beautiful country and make some typical Canadian specialties. Pair your homemade poutine with a classic Canadian Caesar. There is no better cocktail for Canada Day than a Bloody Mary with clamato juice, or as we call it, a Canadian Caesar.

Let me know if you make this classic Canadian Caesar cocktail for Canada Day or any day! Canada’s national drink is always a hit and easy to make it a little ‘extra’ will all the Caesar garnishes.

Other Recipes to Try

• Air Fryer Blackened Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons
• Spicy Shrimp Pasta with Bloody Mary Vodka Sauce
• Best Lobster Roll Recipe – East Coast Style
• Canadian Poutine – Smothered Fries with Cheese Curds, Bacon and Gravy
• Canadian Date Bars with Oatmeal Crumble Topping

Images with mason jars from jefftakespics2.