How to Make a Caesar Drink

Co-authored by Tom Blake

Last Updated: May 25, 2021

The Caesar is a variation of a Bloody Mary. It's a cocktail made with a combination of vodka and Clamato, a beverage made of tomato juice and clam juice, and the addition of various seasonings and garnishes. Created in Calgary in 1969, its popularity has spread all across Canada.^{[1]
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Research source} In fact, some argue that it is one of Canada's best-loved drinks.^{[2]
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Research source} If you want to make your own, you simply need a few ingredients and a little know how to make this delicious, savory drink.

Ingredients

Making a Classic Caesar

1.5–3 fl oz (44–89 mL) of vodka
5–7 fl oz (150–210 mL) of Clamato juice
5-7 dashes of Tabasco
3-6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
Celery salt
Ice
Celery stalk for garnish
Lemon or lime wedge for garnish

Makes 1 drink

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making a Classic Caesar

1
Select a glass. Use a large glass, such as a goblet, highball, or pint glass. Basically, the glass should be able to easily hold 10 fl oz (300 mL) of liquid, or slightly more.
- If you are planning on adding a lot of garnishes, you should account for that as well when you choose your glass. You may need a large glass with a heavy bottom just for stability if you want to add a ton of garnishes to the top of your drink.
2
Rim the glass. Rub a lemon wedge around the edge of the glass. Then dip the wetted rim of the glass into a pile of celery salt.^{[3]
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Research source} Turn the glass lightly around, so that the entire rim is covered in the celery salt.
- Rimming the glass adds a kick of flavor every time you take a sip of your finished cocktail.
- If you don't want to taste the celery salt every time you take a drink, simply add a straw to your cocktail and drink out of that. This means that you have the choice between a sip with celery salt and a sip without. Or, simply rim half of the glass.
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3
Put ice in the glass. You should fill the glass until it is about 3/4 full. The ice is important because you want your Caesar to be nice and cold throughout. There is nothing worse than warm clam juice after all!
4
Add the vodka. The type of vodka you use and the amount of vodka you add is up to you. The amount of vodka usually varies between 1.5–3 fl oz (44–89 mL), depending on how strong you want the drink and how much Clamato you are going to add at the end.
- If you are making a cocktail that will fill a pint glass, you probably want to use the full 3 fl oz (89 mL).
- If you are making a cocktail in a small highball glass, then you probably should add about 1.5 fl oz (44 mL).
5
Season the drink. While the Clamato has some seasoning, you will want to kick that seasoning a bit with some additions of your own. You can add a shake of salt and pepper, 5-7 dashes of Tabasco, and 3-6 dashes Worcestershire sauce. This will help to create the classic Caesar flavor.
6
Top off the glass with Clamato juice. Fill the glass almost to the top with Clamato. This is a juice that combines tomato juice and clam juice. You will want to leave a little bit of room in case you want to add more vodka to taste, or if you need room for lots of garnishes.
- The clam juice adds an additional layer of flavor that is pleasantly savory. This flavor is sometimes called umami.^{[4]
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- The addition of Clamato is the main difference between a Caesar and a Bloody Mary. While a Bloody Mary uses tomato juice, a Caesar has the additional clam juice to give it a kick.
7
Garnish the glass. You can do this by simply adding a lemon or lime wedge to the edge of the glass. Or you could add a celery stalk to the glass and a variety of other bites on cocktail skewers.^{[5]
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Research source} Part of the fun of a Caesar can be its garnishes.
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Drink your Caesar! Enjoy your drink morning, noon, or night. While a Bloody Mary is traditionally drunk with brunch, Caesars are enjoyed at any time of day.^{[6]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Making a Caesar Variation

1
Add more heat. While some people are happy with just a few drops of Tabasco, others may want more of a kick. Try adding additional Tabasco or some other hot sauce. Do you have a favorite hot sauce? Try splashing a little bit into your next Caesar!
- For a fun twist, try adding a little Sriracha Chili Sauce. This will add a little heat and a little difference in taste.^{[7]
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- You can also add horseradish to your drink for a different kind of kick.
- Why not try wasabi instead of Tabasco? It will be just as hot but the kick will fade quickly after each sip.^{[8]
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2
Play around with how you line the rim. You don't have to stick to only celery salt on the rim. Perhaps you could simply mix celery salt with a little pepper for a little more flavor.
- If you want to get even more creative you can make a mixture of celery salt, pepper, garlic powder, and just a touch of chili powder to use when rimming your glass. This will certainly give a huge pop of flavor when you take a drink.
3
Make the clam and tomato juice from scratch. If you want to get fancy and punch up the flavor of your drink, you can make your own Clamato. Simply combine tomato juice with canned clam juice to punch up the clam flavor in your drink.
- If you are planning on making multiple drinks combine 4 ¹⁄₂ cups (1,100 mL) of tomato juice with 1 bottle of clam juice (usually 1 cup (240 ml)). This should make enough tomato clam juice for about 8 drinks.^{[9]
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4
Add more garnishes. Who says you can only have a lime wedge and a stick of celery in your drink? Try adding olives, pickles, pepper, or any pickled vegetable.
- If you are getting really wild you can even stick a strip of fried bacon right into the glass.
- Get a long skewer and put roasted garlic cloves, cherry tomatoes, and cooked shrimp on it. Add the skewer to the glass and you practically have a meal included with your drink!
- Your imagination is really the only limit to the type of garnishes you can add.
5
Try it virgin. If you are in the mood for a Caesar but you can't get drunk, or don't want to, them make a virgin one without vodka. All you need to do is omit the vodka from the recipe and you will still have a delicious, salty drink to enjoy.