Ah the mighty Caesar

King of mornings after, a savoury treat after work, and a classic drink when chilling at the lake! We've taken it too a spicier place with the addition of Kimchi brine, so enjoy diving into the great lore and deep flavour of this Canadian Classic.

Hail Caesar!

The Caesar, though often compared to the bloody Mary, is its own cocktail with a different flavour profile. A cocktail book from the 50's is the first written recipe of a cocktail containing vodka, tomato and clam juice, and Worcestershire sauce, with the Polonaise nightclub in Manhattan offering a version of this which they called the "Smirnoff Smiler". Charles Addams, writer of the Addams Family, claimed he invented the "Gravel Gertie" which was a version made with Tabasco sauce instead of Worcestershire. Mott's Clamato marketer Ray Anrig and Seagram Whiskey president Victor Fischel also claimed to have invented the "Clamdigger" as they called it in 1968. They ran ads on it for a year, but their version did not take off (Maybe because they weren't making it correctly yet - Leave it to Canadians to get the job done ;) ).

We arrive now finally at the true inventor of the Caesar, Walter Chell. While working as a restaurant manager at the Calgary Inn (Now the Westin Hotel), he wanted to create a signature drink for the Inn's new Italian Restaurant. He had been inspired by Italy, specifically a dish called Spaghetti alle vongole, a dish made with tomato sauce and clams. He thought maybe combining these flavours would make for a successful drink, so he mashed clams in tomato juice, and made the first Caesar with vodka, the mashed clams and tomato, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and other ingredients.

Chell sported Italian ancestry, which left him to calling his drink the "Caesar". It also has a longer name, "Bloody Caesar", named after an English regular in the bar; this patron would take a drink and exclaim, "Walter, that's a damn good bloody Caesar". The drink blew up in popularity; within five years of it's creation, it became Calgary's most popular mixed drink. It's popularity eventually spread across Western Canada, then travelled east. for 6 decades it has continued to be Canada's most popular mixed drink, being touted as a hangover cure, an appetizer type drink, a drink at the lake, or simply a delicious beverage to enjoy. On it's 40th anniversary, a petition was launched to

Kimchi

Kimchi is an incredible and complex condiment. It is made of salted and fermented vegetables, mostly napa cabbage or Korean Radish. We love using it in our cooking for the depth of flavour and acidity it provides, whether that's in a noodle dish or in a Jjigae.

The seasonings that go into a Kimchi are many, including:

- Gochugaru - a Korean chili powder,

- spring onions,

- garlic,

- ginger, and

- jeotgal (a category of salted preserved seafood dishes that can range from solid pieces to a clear broth)

The coolest part of Kimchi is how it is prepared. Raw Kimchi is placed in a jar; the jar is then sealed tight, and placed in an underground fermentation vessel. This vessel prevents the kimchi from freezing in the winter, but keeps it cool enough to slow down its fermentation in the hotter summer months. Essentially, the cooking method for Kimchi is time - using natural phenomena like fermentation to process the raw ingredients into something prepared: how cool is that?

Kimchi has a surprising effervescence, like a Champaign or a Kombucha. This is due to the fermentation process carbonating the brine the Kimchi ferments in. This brine is what we use in our Kimchi Caesar, and is being used in place of pickle juice, a common additive to modern Caesars. Think of Kimchi brine as a funkier, spicier, fizzy pickle juice, and it's easy to see how this brine fits right in with the Caeasar's flavours. You can also garnish your Kimchi Caesar with a bit of the Kimchi for some flare!

How to make it

Mix ingredients and enjoy!

Seriously, Caesars are that easy to make. Begin by rimming the glass with your spice mix, then add all the liquid ingredients together in the glass.

Stir to combine, top with a bit more Clamato juice if desired, and garnish it with pickle, olive, kimchi, or really whatever you want.

Enjoy this classic - we know we will!