This ultimate Caesar Cocktail is a total Canadian classic! It has a Caesar mix and vodka base. The whole thing gets flavour and spice from ingredients like horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Like most cocktails, it’s made quickly (in about 5 minutes). My favourite part? It has a snack built right in!
Hi everyone! This is an update on a post I did way back when. Being one of my favorite cocktails, I thought it needed a little remodel with fresh pictures, so here it is!
I love to enjoy a spicy Caesar cocktail, especially on Canada Day, with some good eats and relaxing on the deck. Plus, I can change it up, if I like, with garnish.
So, let’s check out this delicious Caesar cocktail recipe. Dare I say, the best Caesar cocktail that I’ve tried. Hope you love it 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 them 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 versus Bloody Mary
The main base of a Caesar is Caesar mix (tomato juice and claim juice mixture). However, the main base of a ‘Bloody Mary’ is tomato juice.
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 juice
- Celery stick
- Ice (optional), but recommended
I add a couple of additions in my Caesar cocktail to give it a little something extra, like horseradish and black pepper. Plus, I garnish with more than just celery. Who doesn’t enjoy a little snack on top?
How to Make the Best Caesar Cocktail
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Rub a lime wedge around the rim of a tall glass to wet.
- Sprinkle some celery salt on a plate and invert a glass into it to coat the rim (the lime juice helps the celery salt to adhere).
- Pour in Caesar mix, vodka, horseradish, Worcestershire, hot sauce, lime juice and black pepper. Stir.
- Top with ice cubes and stir again.
- Garnish to your heart’s content (or simply enjoy as is).
How To Garnish
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!
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Not a fan of Caesar mix? Make this Caesar cocktail with vegetable juice. No traditional, but I do enjoy.
- Use as much or as little hot sauce as you like.
- 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 vegetables and the like so guests can customize their own garnish.
Snacks to Enjoy with This Cocktail
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!
If you make this ultimate Caesar cocktail recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Ultimate Caesar Cocktail (made in only 5 minutes)
Ingredients
Ultimate Caesar Cocktail
- ½ lime
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- 1 cup Caesar mix, like Clamato (or your favourite Caesar mix)
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 3 to 4 dashes Worcestershire
- 3 to 4 dashes hot sauce, or to taste (I like Tabasco here, but you can use your favourite)
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
- ice cubes, to top glass
Garnish Ideas (optional)
- Pickled green beans
- Sliced salami
- Sweet onions
- Green olives
- Celery rib
Instructions
- Wet the rim of a tall glass with lime (don't discard the lime because the juice will be used in your cocktail).
- Place celery salt on a small plate. Invert the glass into the celery salt to coat.
- To glass, add Caesar mix, vodka, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lime juice (from the lime half) and black pepper. Use a spoon and stir to combine. Top with ice cubes (I like to give everything another little stir).
- On a wooden skewer (big enough to cover a little more than the width of your glass), garnish as desired. Place over top of your glass. Add a celery stick to your cocktail (great for stirring and enjoying). Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
Rich
Learned of this drink on the Montana/ Canadian borders. A great drink on a hot day. Most do not use horseradish but I’ll have to give this recipe a try sounds good
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Totally! Yes, I mention that horseradish is an added touch because I love the spice it gives. You can leave out if you prefer 🙂 Cheers!
Sabrina
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!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Totally! Thank you Sabrina! Cheers 🙂
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
Definitely a classic cocktail! So flavourful, and the built in snack is my favourite part! Looks great Dawn!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Mine too! Thank you Leanne 🙂
Kelly
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!!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Happy birthday Kelly! Hope you have a fabulous day!! Thank you so much…it’s definitely a favourite around here 🙂 Hope you love it too!
Patty
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!
Girl Heart Food
Haha – so tasty! I always go for that skewer of goodies first 😉 Thanks Patty!
linda spiker
lol I am obsessed with what’s on the toothpick! Ten of those could be my dinner:)
Girl Heart Food
Haha – right?? Me too! Right there with ya 😉
Carrie
I’ve never heard of this drink before, sounds so delicious!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Carrie…it’s a classic ’round here 😉
Julia
Clamato juice? Now that sounds interesting. Love how you garnished the glasses with that little tapas!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Julia! My favourite part is that snack 😉
Claudia Lamascolo
what a delight to make. My brothers would love this to start off a nice dinner on Sunday!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Claudia!
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
I’ve never heard of a Caesar cocktail, or mixing tomato and clam juice… but I’m totally loving this! I want to try it! (Is this where I admit that I’ve never tasted a bloody mary either? lol)
Girl Heart Food
Well, now you need to try 😉 I love mine extra spicy, but I especially love the snack with it!
David @ Spiced
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!
Girl Heart Food
Figures that your curling buddies would love caesars 😉 It’s totally awesome with tomato juice too! Thanks David!
Tracy | Baking Mischief
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!
Girl Heart Food
The snack on top is the BEST – always about the food, right? Thanks so much, Tracy!
Charlotte Lamontagne
I used to hate mushrooms but now I love them. Maybe I should also retry veggie juice!
Girl Heart Food
Love mushrooms too! Tastes definitely do change 🙂
Katherine | Love In My Oven
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
Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much Katherine!! And I appreciate the Pin! Hope you love this one as much as I do 😉 Have an awesome weekend too! XO
Cindy
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.
Girl Heart Food
Yay! Appreciate that, Cindy! I usually always have extra of the garnish to eat as I’m preparing this one….too good 😉
Kevin | Keviniscooking
Hail Caesar! Looks rather tasty and a built in appetizer, too? Cheers!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Kevin! Can’t beat a drink and snack in one, can ya?
Denise from UrbnSpice
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! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Denise 🙂 Appreciate the kind words!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
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!
Girl Heart Food
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
Ayngelina Brogan
I love caesars so much but I think it’s the horseradish. I like enough that it starts to resemble cocktail sauce!
Girl Heart Food
I totally know what you mean!! The more spicier, the better 🙂
Marie-Pierre Breton
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!
Girl Heart Food
Oh, that’s too bad! I love that spice from the horseradish – so good! Thanks so much Marie!
Elaine @ Flavour and Savaour
I always love a good Caesar! And a homemade one is so much better than those pre-mixed Caesars in cans. Great recipe!
Girl Heart Food
Definitely :)!! Thanks Elaine!
Jolina
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!
Girl Heart Food
Garnishes are always the BEST!! YUM – lobster meat? Now you’re talking! Happy Friday, Jolina 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
The weekend is almost here and I am ready! I think I need one of these cocktails. I love bloody marys so I’m betting this would be fabulous too! Have a stupendous weekend!
Girl Heart Food
You totally do 😉 You’d love this one, Kathy! Have an awesome weekend too!
Mary
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.
Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Mary! The toppings are the best part 😉
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
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!
Girl Heart Food
Definitely 😉 Thank you Nicoletta!!
[email protected]
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
Girl Heart Food
YES! Awesome, right? Thank you Annie! Hope you love it! XOXO
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
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!
Girl Heart Food
Lucky that you did cause white chocolate is delicious 😉 Garnish is my favourite part too, Kelsie! Thank you so much and appreciate the Pin! Have a lovely weekend.
Milena | Craft Beering
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!
Girl Heart Food
Arrowhead sounds pretty awesome! I can imagine why you went a lot! Thank you very much for the sweet comment and Pin, Milena! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Gaila
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!
Girl Heart Food
You’re too kind, Gaila!! Thanks very much and have a great weekend too 🙂
Katie Crenshaw
You are a girl after my heart!!!! I love a Bloody Mary! Haven’t made a version with Clamato Juice, but I will be this weekend!!! YUUUUUMMMMM!
Girl Heart Food
Haha! I hear ya! Hope you love it as much as I do 😉 Thanks very much, Katie!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
Love this cocktail Dawn! And all of your garnishes push this one right to the top! This would be a fabulous addition to a brunch menu. So fun! Pinning and can’t wait to try!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Mary Ann! Garnishes are my fave!! Appreciate the kind words and Pin, my friend 🙂 Have a lovely weekend!