Friday, June 24, 2011

2011 Mott's Clamato Caesar Toast

Photo credit: The Caesar: Canada's National Cocktail  (Facebook)
I Caesars. I really, really do. When I got the invite for this 2011 Mott's Clamato Coast to Coast Caesar Toast event at The Spoke Club, I actually went on my blog and searched for "Caesar" for fun, just to see how many times I've mentioned "Caesar" on my blog; the search came up with 7 posts. Yeah, I know 7 sounds really puny but really, I assure you, the Caesar is my favourite drink! People that know me can vouch for me! Hmmm I have no idea why I feel the need to defend myself.


A brief history about the Caesar:



"A Canadian creation, the Caesar was invented in 1969 to celebrate the opening of Marco’s Italian Restaurant at the Calgary Inn (now Westin Calgary). Resident mixologist and food and beverage manager Walter Chell was commissioned to develop the new cocktail. Inspired by the flavours of Spaghetti Vongole, Walter combined sweet (tomato juice), salty (clam nectar), sour (lime), spicy (Worcestershire sauce) and bitter (celery salt) in his new concoction. After naming his drink for the Roman Emperor, legend has it that Chell served one to an Englishman who exclaimed: 'that’s a good bloody Caesar!'" 



Ever since then, Mott's Clamato has been the essential ingredient in any Caesar. Did you know that the Caesar is the most popular cocktail in Canada? More than 350 million Caesars are made with Mott's Clamato every year.


We were all given a recipe booklet and a piece of paper for tasting notes (I made mental notes instead).



We all had The Social Caesar to start.



The Social Caesar is pretty much your classic Caesar made with Mott's Clamato and vodka. 


The event began with the mixologist creating The Royal Caesar, a Caesar specifically created to welcome The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Canada (they will be visiting eight Canadian cities during their tour from June 30 to July 8).



The Royal Caesar is made with gin and Pimm's, two of the most iconic English spirits. I love the cucumber crown on top; not only is it visually appealing, it actually gives a refreshing hint of cucumber taste to the drink. The Royal Caesar is definitely a lot lighter than the The Social Caesar.


Next up is The Sounds of Canada Caesar. The mixologist is demonstrating the rolling technique, a great technique for mixing only a few ingredients as it gently combines them without melting as much ice or adding as much air as the shaking technique does.


Gotta love the Jalepeno wrapped chili pepper and chives garnish on The Sounds of Canada Caesar! I could tell from the first sip that this Caesar was a lot stronger than The Royal Caesar; it took some time to get used to but I ended up really enjoying it.


Good thing The Spoke Club provided us with food because I went to this event with an empty stomach =D


This is probably the tiniest slider I've ever had! So cute.


Last, but not least, The Truth North Caesar


I was really unsure about this Caesar as I'm not a fan of margaritas...


But this turned out to be my favourite Caesar of the day. The tangy-ness from the margarita mix and the "iceberg" in the middle is perfect for a hot summer day on the patio.


I took home this huge Caesar Starter Kit, equipped with Mott's Clamato, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, sea salt, seasoning salt, and black peppercorn. Vodka not included =P


You can find the recipes for all the Caesars on this post here --> The Caesar: Canada's National Cocktail's Facebook Page.