How a mix of clam juice, tomato juice, and vodka became Canada’s national cocktail?
THE MAN WITH THE CLAMS
In the States, the Bloody Mary reigns as a favorite hair-of-the-dog hangover “cure.” The equivalent in Canada is the Bloody Caesar. Bartender Walter Chell invented the Caesar in 1969 at the Westin Hotel in Calgary. The hotel was opening an Italian restaurant, and the owner asked Chell to create a drink to go with the Mediterranean food. Chell was inspired to make his own mash of tomato juice and clams, which he then combined with vodka, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco. Putting clam nectar in a cocktail was certainly a unique twist.
Because he was Italian and the drink was to accompany Italian food, Chell called it the Caesar. Chell said that the name Bloody was added after a British tourist tried the drink and proclaimed it “bloody good.” Of course, it does bear a similarity to the Bloody Mary.
SOME SAY CLAMATO
Some say that Chell not only invented the cocktail but also created “clamato” juice itself. Shortly after Chell debuted the Bloody Caesar, Mott’s introduced Clamato. Chell was never able to claim any financial right to his million-seller idea, but Mott’s hired him to promote the product.
The drink is now considered Canada’s national cocktail and is served at just about every bar throughout the country. Some Caesar aficionados say that the drink has never made a splash in the States because it can’t break the “clam barrier”—the fishy flavor profile just may not suit U.S. taste buds.
MORE CAESAR TRIVIA
• The Toronto Institute of Bartending runs a “Caesar School” at different locations in Canada to train bartenders in how to make variations of the drink.
• Mott’s holds an annual “Best Caesar in Town” competition as part of the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival.
• An ultra-Canadian version of this cocktail includes bacon-infused vodka, maple syrup, and a glass rimmed with Tim Hortons coffee rounds.
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