» A sweet take on Canada’s official drink

CJ Sommerfeld
Staff Writer

 

n 2009, the Caesar was named

Canada’s official drink—really? A vodka-
based cocktail? Canada has not created
much, but one thing that we can be
proud of is our rye. So, for this week's
“CJ's Caesars,” we are going to make a
rye variation.

| have bartended for eight years,
throughout which | am constantly asked,
“Make me your special.” Sure, some
bartenders might have a signature
drink, but | never did. When asked this,
| always improvised with the ingredients
| had around me: different liqueurs,
juices, garnishes, etc. It is enjoyable to
approach mixology with creativity, and
frankly, sometimes it works out and other
times it is a big flop. That is how this
recipe came about.

Regardless, this Caesar's ingredients
are not entirely random, but instead of
been derived from an unlikely suspect:
the Manhattan. This drink is pretty much
a rye martini and its ingredients are
simple: rye, sweet vermouth, bitters,
orange, and maraschino cherry—we will
be using all these ingredients in our rye
Caesar.

A quick note about vermouth: in
other parts of the world, such as Spain
and Italy, it is normal for people to drink
vermouth (which is essentially fortified
and aromatized wine). In Spain, they

e Jigger

¢ Shaker (optional)

e Whichever glass you would like
(I used a snifter)

e 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth

(also called red vermouth or vermouth rosso)

e 1.5 ounces rye

have bars designated to the liqueur
called Vermuterias. Within Canadian
culture, this seems odd since vermouth
is usually some bottle that gets dusty on
the shelf as we only add a 1/2 ounce as
an additive into different cocktails.
Another quick note about the snifter
glass. For rye's sake, | chose to use a
snifter for this drink. A classic Caesar
usually uses a tall rocks glass, whereas
a Manhattan is often served in a martini

¢ Cinnamon stick

cjsfamousceasars.ca

  

glass (which can be stemmed or not).
A snifter is a short-stemmed goblet of
sorts. Neat whiskeys and liqueurs are
served in these glasses; their shape
apparently enhances the sensory
experience of drinking these different
alcohols. Alright, this sounds boujee,
but let us remember that the Caesar is
the least boujee cocktail if there ever
was one. Hopefully, that cancels out the
negative association.

e Maraschino cherries
¢ Orange flavoured dark chocolate

e 2 ounces pure Canadian maple syrup

e dash of red chilis

¢ dash of nutmeg

¢ asmall plate worth of brown sugar

(I just used regular rye, but Crown Royal has both a

maple and peach flavoured variation)

¢ Check the next page!

¢ 8 ounces Clamato or any generic tomato and clam

Juice mix
¢ a teaspoon of Orange extract
¢ a dash or two of Angostura bitters
° ice cubes

life & style // no. 16 theotherpress.ca

Photos by CJ Sommerfeld