Five years ago, MONTECRISTO Magazine invited some of the country’s best bartenders and mix masters to share their unique spins on a quintessential Canadian drink: the Caesar. The only criteria? They all had to use our pick of Canadian ingredient: Walter craft Caesar mix. Here’s what they taught us:
Maison Publique’s Akvavit Caesar
Derek Dammann, chef/owner at Maison Publique, Montreal
“Almost everything else we use in the cocktail is made in our Montreal restaurant, from dill pickles to hot sauce and the spice blend. We use Akvavit in the Caesar instead of vodka because we couldn’t find any Canadian vodka that gives the flavor profile that golden Akvavit brings.”
Image courtesy of Maison Publique.
Ingredients
2 oz. Akvavit
5 oz. Walter All-Natural Craft Caesar Mix
Dash house-made hot sauce
Splash pickle brine
Rim: lime juice, Montréal steak spice
Garnish: house-made pickle, fresh lime wedge
Method
In a mixing glass with ice, combine Akvavit, Walter Caesar Mix, hot sauce, and pickle brine
Stir well
Rim glass with lime, Montréal steak spice
Strain cocktail over fresh ice, garnish with pickle spear
Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar’s Creole Caesar
Justin Taylor, then bar manager of Boulevard. Current general manager of the Cascade Room, Vancouver.
“This Creole Caesar is the perfect pairing to our selection of fresh oysters and catches, and was inspired by a passion for home cooking. I’m completely in love with New Orleans and what it means to the cocktail community, and couldn’t think of a better way to blend Canada‘s official cocktail than with a touch of the south.”
Image courtesy of Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar.
Ingredients
Creole Caesar pre-mix
In a 2 litre container, blend together:
1 litre Walter All-Natural Craft Caesar Mix Mildly Spiced
125 ml filtered water
125 ml fresh lime
75 ml Worcestershire sauce
75 ml Tabasco
2 tbsp. Creole seasoning
Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to seven days. Shake well before use.
Creole seasoning
2.5 tbsp. mild paprika
2 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. dried thyme
Creole Caesar rim
2 tbsp. black peppercorns
1 tbsp. celery salt
0.5 tbsp. dried chili flakes
In a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, crush to a fine grind.
Pickled okra garnish
2 lbs. fresh young okra, washed and stems trimmed
4 dried chilies split
2 tsp. mustard seeds
12 sprigs fresh dill
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. peppercorns
0.25 cups kosher salt
2 cups rice wine vinegar
2 cups filtered water
In four sterilized 1-litre jars, divide evenly to each jar:
1 half chili
1 garlic clove
0.5 tsp. peppercorns
Pack tightly okra pods in each jar, alternating each pod stem up and then stem down. In a saucepan, bring to boil salt, vinegar, and water. Pour evenly over the okra in each jar. Seal with lid and store for two weeks before use.
Method
In a 12 oz. beer glass, dip rim in pickled okra brine and then dip in Creole Caesar rim
Fill glass with cubed ice
Add 1 oz. vodka
Add 5 oz. Creole Caesar pre-mix
Garnish with pickled okra
Belgard Kitchen’s Pilsner Caesar
Reuben Major, executive chef and partner at Belgard Kitchen, Vancouver.
“Our business holds a manufacturer’s license, which is a very unique and rare license in Vancouver. Because of this, we can only sell beer and wine made on-site. Not being able to serve vodka pushed us to be creative with our Walter Belgard Caesar; once our Postmark Brewing Pilsner, brewed on site, was ready to pour on-tap, we found the perfect concoction for our specialty brunch beverage.”
Image courtesy of Belgard Kitchen.
Ingredients
Postmark Brewing Pilsner
Walter All-Natural Craft Caesar Mix Well Spiced
Argentinian spiced rim (our specialty spice made in house)
Grilled asparagus wrapped with speck
Fresh lemon or lime (guest preference)
Dash of Tabasco/Worcestershire (to taste)
Method
Cold rinse 20 oz. pint glass
Rim with Argentinian spice
Fill to rim with ice
Fill half way with pilsner
Top with Walter
Garnish with grilled speck and asparagus
Garnish with lemon/lime and spice to taste
Place prepared Walter Belgard Caesar on the table
Drink. Repeat. Repeat.
The Albion Rooms’ Marcus Brutus
Stephen La Salle, then chef at Ottawa’s The Albion Rooms. Current executive chef, food and beverage director at Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market.
“At The Albion Rooms, we call this cocktail the Marcus Brutus because it killed the original Caesar—so it’s got to be big, bold, heavy, and packed with flavour. It’s a savory cocktail but loaded with sweet elements to add depth to it. It’s the all-Canadian cocktail done in a big Ottawa way.”
Image courtesy of the Albion Rooms
Ingredients
1 oz. Dill infused Absolut vodka
Lemon wedges
15 ml Spicy Pickled Bean Juice (if you were to pickle some crazy flavourful sweet and spicy beans to garnish your Caesar, this would be the stuff to do it with, but we add it straight in)
2.5 ml Spiced Syrup, honey and spices to add depth
2.5 ml Sriracha
½ oz. dry red wine
Walter Caesar All Natural Craft Caesar Mix Mildly Spiced
House-made rim consisting of house Montreal steak spice (MSG-free, just like Walter), bacon, and dehydrated herbs
Meat flower garnish consisting of a thick cut slice of cucumber and Ontario cured meats from Seed to Sausage and Mario Pingue
Method
Before mixing the cocktail, dip the top of your glass or jar in a small dish of honey then roll in rimmer to adhere to glass
Muddle two lemon wedges, add vodka, bean juice, spiced syrup, hot sauce, red wine, lots of ice, and top with Walter, stir
Once mixed, take slices of Pingue Capicollo and Seed to Sausage Saucisson Sec and Calebrese lay them on a thick cut cucumber slice, pin down with two skewers and perch on side of glass.
From the Archives: These recipes were originally published in August 2015. Try more delicious recipes.
