PEI Liquor - Summer eFlyer

CAESAR TIME 2019 is a pretty big year for Canada’s favourite cocktail; the Bloody Caesar turns the big 5-0. This iconic cocktail is a Canadian invention, too. hot sauce (usually Tabasco), and Worcester- shire sauce served with ice. It will likely arrive in a large, celery salt-rimmed glass, typically garnished with a stalk of celery and wedge of lemon or lime.

Rewind to 1969, and Calgary is booming- the Calgary Inn (now the Westin) was about to open a new Italian restaurant called Marco’s. To celebrate the grand opening, Walter Chell, the restaurant manager, created a signature cock- tail. Inspired by the the American “Bloody Mary” cocktail and the classic Venetian dish “Spaghetti Vongole” (Spaghetti and Clams), Walter mixed a similar combination of ingredients into his new drink. Tomato juice, clam nectar, Worcestershire sauce, vodka and celery salt… voilà! Sweet, savoury, salty and spicy, Walter named his signature cocktail the Bloody Caesar. The drink was an immediate hit with the restaurant’s patrons and within five years of its introduction, the Caesar had become Calgary’s most popular mixed drink. It spread throughout Western Canada and eventually arrived at the East coast. Coincidentally, the Mott’s company was independently developing Clamato, a mixture of clam and tomato juices, at the same time the Caesar was invented. Sales of Clamato were initially slow, but consistently increased as the Caesar gained momentum. The Caesar is now the most popular mixed drink in the country, and in 2009, Parliament declared the Caesar Canada’s official cocktail. Motts estimates that Canadians consume over 350 million Caesars per year! Since its invention in 1969, it’s truly become a cultural icon. Over the years, Walter’s recipe has been tweaked a little bit. If you order a Caesar nowadays, it typically contains vodka, a caesar mix (a blend of tomato juice and clam broth),

Such an iconic cocktail has inspired a few great innovations over the years, too. The Virgin Caesar omits the vodka. The Michelada, Red Eye or Clam Eye all have similar flavouring ingredients but use beer instead of vodka. Horseradish, pickled beans, olives and seafood are all popular additions to traditional Caesars as well. Different spices can be added to the rim, such as smoked salt, dried herbs, or spicy dried peppers. Switching up the vodka for gin or rum can be tasty, or swapping in a specialty vodka like cucumber, jalapeno or bacon can add an extra punch of flavour. To celebrate the 50th Birthday of Canada’s national cocktail, Mott’s will once again be hosting the annual “Best Caesar in Town” competition as part of the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival. You can join in the fun and cheer on our local bartenders on Thursday, September 19th at 7:00PM at Peakes Quay in Charlottetown. Contests will be held across Canada as the Nation’s top bartenders compete regionally in the hope their cocktail is hailed as the “Best Caesar In Town”. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy an ice cold drink, so let’s all celebrate Canada’s national cocktail and mix up our favourite version of Walters’ classic creation.

Cheers to you, Caesar!

CELEBRATE LATE SUMMER 2019

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