Looking for fresh ideas to amp up your Canada Day celebrations? There are few drinks that are quite as Canadian as the Caesar. We thought we’d take a spin on the humble classic, and add a decidedly different twist by incorporating ingredients normally found in a martini, such as gin and vermouth. Blood oranges are still widely available in Vancouver, but if you can’t get your hands on some, regular oranges will do just fine.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups ice
2 oz. gin
1 oz. vermouth
½ – ¾ cup clamato juice
½ blood orange, juiced
4 dashes Worcester sauce
4 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 lime wedge
Salt and pepper (for rimming and seasoning)
Candied bacon
4 slices bacon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
Skewer
Swiss cheese, small cubes
Bocconcini cheese, small cubes
Pepperoncini
Pepperoni, small pieces
Method
Preheat oven to 350. Place bacon on a foil-lined pan and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and chipotle powder. Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until all the sugar has melted and the bacon is cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature.
Prepare the skewers. Cut cheese into small cubes and the pepperoni into small pieces. Place on a skewer, along with a pepperoncini and bocconcini.
On a small plate, combine equal parts salt and pepper. Rim a tall glass with a lime wedge, then dip it in the salt and pepper mixture, entirely coating the rim of the glass. Fill glass with ice, then add gin, vermouth, and clam juice. Add the juice of half a blood orange, along with Worcester sauce, Tabasco sauce, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir with a tall spoon, then garnish with candied bacon and a skewer. And then raise a glass to our fine country!
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