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Ultimate Caesar Cocktail {the best caesar recipe}

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This Ultimate Caesar Cocktail is a total Canadian classic. It’s caesar mix based with a hit of vodka. The whole thing gets flavour and spice from ingredients like horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Like most cocktails, it’s made quickly (in under 5 minutes). My favourite part? It has a snack built right in!

Two Canadian caesar cocktails, each garnished with celery, green bean, olives, pickled onion and salami.

Hey everyone!  This is an update on a post I did waaaaay back when.  Being one of my favourite cocktails, I thought it needed a little remodel with pics and write up so….ta da!  Here on Girl Heart Food, every so often, I’ve decided to have a ‘quickie Thursday’ where I will bring you guys super easy and quick recipes that can be prepared in no time.  With that, let’s check out this delicious caesar cocktail recipe. Dare I say, the best caesar cocktail that I’ve tried (and perhaps you too 😉 )?

What is a Caesar Cocktail?

The caesar is a classic Canadian cocktail invented by a restaurateur in 1969. The rest is history because this is one popular cocktail around here! You can even find pre-mixed caesars where you would find wine, beer and the like.  Truthfully, though, it’s much better to make ’em yourself because they come together so darn quickly and you can adjust to how YOU like it.  Caesars can be enjoyed at cocktail hour or weekend brunch, alike.

Caesar vs Bloody Mary – what’s the main difference anyway? And What is Caesar Mix?

The main base of a Caesar is caesar mix (tomato juice and claim juice mixture). A popular store bought brand that’s used is ‘Clamato’.  A bloody mary, on the other hand, is tomato juice based.

Ingredients in a Caesar Cocktail

There are some fundamental ingredients in a Canadian caesar cocktail –

  • Caesar mix (basically a mixture of tomato juice & clam broth, as mentioned above). You can easily  purchase pre-mixed caesar mix in your grocery.
  • Vodka
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Hot Sauce
  • Celery Salt
  • Lime
  • Celery Stick
  • Ice (optional), but recommended

I add a couple of additions in my caesar cocktail to give it a little somethin’ – horseradish and black pepper.  Plus, I garnish with more than just celery. Who doesn’t enjoy a little snack on top?!

A close up of the best caesar cocktail recipe garnished with celery, green bean, pickled onion, olives and salami.

How to Make the Best Caesar Cocktail

  • Rub lime wedge around a tall glass to wet.
  • Invert glass into celery salt (place celery salt on a plate).
  • Pour in clamato juice, vodka, horseradish, Worcestershire, hot sauce, lime juice and black pepper.  Stir.
  • Top with ice cubes.
  • Garnish to your heart’s content.
  • Enjoy!

How To Garnish a Caesar Cocktail

A celery stick is traditional, but the possibilities are endless here!  For me, I like to mix and match garnish (but don’t like to go crazy or make too much work for myself). Some options are –

  • Salami or pepperoni
  • Green olives
  • Pickled onions
  • Pickled green beans
  • Hot peppers (that are brined or pickled)
  • Oysters (if you’re getting extra fancy)
  • Onion rings (again, you’re wearing fancy pants here)

I’ve even seen caesars with sliders and wings as a garnish! Crazy, huh?

Can I Make This a Non Alcoholic Caesar Cocktail?

Of course! Vodka is a pretty neutral tasting spirit.  If you prefer, you can omit the vodka altogether and have a virgin caesar cocktail. It’s really yummy, even without the vodka! Trust me, I speak from experience.  Honestly, I love the snack served on top of the caesar just as much as the actual drink; both components are pretty awesome!  I love mine extra spicy ’cause that’s how I roll, but you can adjust the hot sauce to your taste if you like it a little milder – I’m not gonna judge!

An overhead shot of a caesar cocktail garnsihed with olives, salami, pickled onions, green bean and celery.

Tips and Variations for this Caesar Cocktail Recipe

  • Not a fan of caesar mix?  Make this caesar cocktail with vegetable juice. I really enjoy ‘Garden Cocktail’ (the low sodium variety).  Not sponsored, I just enjoy the product.
  • Use as much or as little hot sauce as you like.  I really prefer Tabasco brand hot sauce because it has a little vinegary bite (again, not sponsored, I just enjoy).
  • Planning a party?  Make a big jug of this caesar and guests can serve themselves.  Only add ice when serving so it doesn’t water down.
  • Speaking of party, how about a little garnish station? Put out little dishes of cured meats, pickled veg and the like so guests can customize their own garnish.

Snacks to Enjoy with this Caesar Cocktail Recipe

Hope you enjoy this ultimate caesar cocktail on Thirsty Thursday, brunch with friends or family or just a random Friday evening spent with your sweetie!

Cheers to a wonderful weekend!

P.S. If you think this Ultimate Caesar Cocktail will make your belly happy too, please me sure to hit that little Pin button.  Many thanks, you guys! XO

Two glasses of garnished Canadian caesar cocktail.
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5 from 6 votes

Ultimate Caesar Cocktail (made in only 5 minutes)

This Ultimate Caesar Cocktail is a total Canadian classic. It's caesar mix based with a hit of vodka. The whole thing gets flavour and spice from ingredients like horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Like most cocktails, it's made quickly (in under 5 minutes). My favourite part? It has a snack built right in!
Course Drinks
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword cocktail, clamato drink
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1
Author Dawn Coombs

Ingredients

Ultimate Caesar Cocktail

  • 1/2 tsp celery salt
  • 1 cup Clamato juice (or your favourite veg juice)
  • 2 oz vodka
  • 1 tsp horseradish
  • 3-4 dashes Worcestershire
  • 3-4 dashes tabasco -or to taste
  • 1/2 lime -juiced
  • pinch tsp black pepper
  • ice -to top glass

Suggested Garnish

  • 1 piece pickled green bean
  • 2 slices salami (your favourite)
  • 2 pieces sweet onions
  • 2 pieces green olives
  • 1 wooden skewer -big enough to cover a little more than your glass
  • 1 stalk celery

Instructions

  • Place celery salt on a small plate. Wet tall glass rim with lime wedge and dip into celery salt to coat.
  • To glass add Clamato juice (or your favourite veg juice), vodka, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce, lime juice and pepper. Use a spoon and stir to combine. Top with ice cubes.
  • On wooden skewer, garnish as desired (I like pickled beans, salami, sweet onion and olives). Place over top of glass and add celery stick. Enjoy!

Notes

             
Tried this recipe? That's awesome!Mention @dawn.girlheartfood or tag #girlheartfood!

© Girl Heart Food.  All images and content are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED. Please do not use any images without prior permission.  Please do not republish this recipe.  If you want to reference this recipe, link directly back to this post. Thank you.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sabrina

    May 23, 2019 at 7:15 pm


    Yum, Caesar’s make me proud to be Canadian! Love the addition of the horseradish and I totally agree with the snack up top 🙂 Cheers, and thanks for this updated classic!

    Reply

  3. Kelly

    May 15, 2019 at 10:51 am

    I was looking for a delicious Caesar recipe for National Caesar’s Day in Canada tomorrow ( which also happens to be my birthday!! )…this hits the nail on the head! I am a Canadian living in the USA and your drink recipe is fantastic!! Beautiful garnishes, tasty and full flavor combinations! Thanks for the recipe!!

    Reply

  4. Patty

    April 17, 2018 at 12:13 pm


    Mmmm I would order that drink only for the little goodies on the skewers LOL. I’m very intrigued by the clamato juice, guess I’ll have to try, cheeeeerzzz!

    Reply

  10. David @ Spiced

    June 12, 2017 at 10:30 am

    I totally hear you on the tastes changing thing, Dawn! I used to hate veggie juice, too, but now I love it. In fact, I’ll sometimes get bloody mary mix on a plane (no alcohol…just the mix) and sip on it. Yum! So Caesars. My curling buddies LOVE these, and they often mix up a big batch and then bring a glass out on the ice with them when we play morning games. I’m more on the tomato juice side of things, but I can appreciate a good recipe…and this is a great one! 🙂 Hope you had an awesome weekend, my friend!

    Reply

  11. Tracy | Baking Mischief

    June 11, 2017 at 1:29 pm

    I’ve never tried a Caesar Cocktail before. I’m usually not one for vegetable juices, but now I totally want to try this and see if my tastes have changed, especially if it comes with that snack on top. 😉

    Looking forward to your Quickie Thursday posts, Dawn. Hope you’re having an awesome weekend!

    Reply

  13. Katherine | Love In My Oven

    June 10, 2017 at 12:33 am

    Thank you for the background on Caesar vs Bloody Mary. I honestly had no idea what the difference is. I used to dislike vegetable based drinks as well but now I’m loving them! Especially when they come with a tasty treat on top 😉 This one has been pinned!!! Have a great weekend my fellow Canuck! XO

    Reply

  14. Cindy

    June 9, 2017 at 8:40 pm

    Hitting the pin for sure, as this is sure to make my belly happy. I am not sure those snacks will make it into this cocktail as it all looks so delicious and I can’t control myself these days. Love this Canadian classic.

    Reply

  16. Denise from UrbnSpice

    June 9, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    Quickie Thursdays are going to be something I will look forward to after seeing your beautiful post on Bloody Mary’s. Although I have to avoid the Clamato because of my husband’s shellfish allergy, I am looking forward to trying this cocktail again. Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂

    Reply

  17. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary

    June 9, 2017 at 11:51 am

    Ohhh, I LOVE the idea of quickie Thursday, Dawn!! When I saw this on IG, I was all like, ummm how did I miss this?!! Quickie Thursday explains it all! 😉 It is true tastes change! Our taste buds are always developing, you can just ask brussels sprouts to verify this for you. Lol, Lord knows I hated them growing up and can’t live without them now! I’m a huge fan of brunch cocktails and this is one of my favorites!! I’m totally digging your snack skewers built in to this libation! Definitely making this on Sunday! Cheers, doll!

    Reply

    • Girl Heart Food

      June 9, 2017 at 12:02 pm

      Thank you Cheyanne! Funny how tastes change, isn’t it? For the better, I say, cause if not we’d be missing out on caesars and brussels sprouts and that would be a dang shame! The snack skewers make this one for sure and I always eat extra…hehehe. Hope you enjoy it! xo

      Reply

  19. Marie-Pierre Breton

    June 9, 2017 at 11:37 am

    As an expat from Canada, I do miss my weekly Bloody Caesar! Don’t know if you know you guys but Clamato is quite a difficult one to find in Europe:( I like your version with horseradish! Give it an extra kick!

    Reply

  21. Jolina

    June 9, 2017 at 10:23 am

    I didn’t use to like ceasars but have grown to love ’em. Love your garnishes! I once had a version where there was a huge chunk of lobster meat on top. How can you not love that right? It’s such a fun drink. Hooray for Friday, we made it 🙂 This drink would be perfect. Have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply

  23. Mary

    June 8, 2017 at 2:58 pm

    Bloody Mary’s are my jam so this Ultimate Caesar cocktail is right up my alley. I like the idea of Quicky Thursday I never have a lot of time so this is perfect for me. It took me awhile to warm up to vegetable based juices also Dawn, so happy to know that I’m not alone. All the toppings look beautiful and tasty.

    Reply

  24. Nicoletta @sugarlovespices

    June 8, 2017 at 1:16 pm

    I don’t know much about cocktails, but I know how much a good Caesar or a Bloody Mary are appreciated, especially here in Canada! I’d love to try it! It looks beautiful and love all the garnishing. It’s perfect for aperitivo time in Italy!

    Reply

  25. [email protected]

    June 8, 2017 at 1:02 pm

    Just five minutes and I could be sipping on this beauty? Bloody Mary is one of my favorite drinks and I absolutely love what you’ve done with the garnish! This may have to make an appearance this weekend! 😉 Thanks for sharing, my friend! Salute! XOXO

    Reply

  26. Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen

    June 8, 2017 at 12:23 pm

    So this might sound crazy but I used to detest white chocolate. Fortunately I got over that :). My favorite part of any cocktail is the garnish–what can I say, I like to eat! I love all the garnishes you have going on here. This whole drink just looks beyond epic. PINNED! Have a great weekend Dawn!

    Reply

  27. Milena | Craft Beering

    June 8, 2017 at 10:54 am

    Yum! My kind of cocktail:) With the Clamato it reminds me of a Michelada a bit. Love the garnish! We used to live next to a small ski area called Arrowhead. Not that great snow wise, but they had Bloody Mary’s with salad like garnish:) and a huge outdoor fire place at the base area, with chairs and blankets. We went a lot:) sometimes didn’t even ski. They need to learn how to make your Canadian beauty! Pinning for later!

    Reply

  28. Gaila

    June 8, 2017 at 10:41 am

    Dawn, you make my bloody mary look so simple and un-garnished, I love the pictures and love, love, love all the garnishes on top! Have a great weekend!

    Reply

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