Why wait till the long weekend to have some fun when you can do so midweek? By fun, we mean swigging tall glasses of chilled Caesar — the distinctly Canadian vodka-based cocktail made with clam-infused tomato juice.
It's National Caesar Day on May 18, and a New West restaurant has come up with an innovative way to honour the delightful drink.
At Kelly O’Bryan’s Restaurant and Carlos O’Bryan’s Pub, you can raise your spice-rimmed highball glasses to the drink's 50-plus years' legacy, by ordering not one, not two, but a flight of four Caesars.
Jennifer Mackie, owner/operator at Kelly O'Bryan's and Carlos O'Bryan's, gave a sneak peak of the pub's newly introduced versions to the classic Caesar in a Facebook post.
As per the social media post, the flight includes the Original Kelly O’Bryan’s Caesar with Smirnoff vodka topped with jalapeño cheddar cheese, pepperoni and a spicy green bean; a garlic Caesar that’s made with Resurrection Spirits garlic vodka, regular spice and topped with garlic havarti salami and a garlic stuffed olive; a dill pickle Caesar with dill pickle vodka from Roots & Wings Distillery, pickle juice and topped with a dill pickle slice and a pickled onion.
Also included is a fourth that ditches the vodka in the cocktail mix for gin.
This is a bold twist to the original Caesar, which, as history goes, was conceptualized by an Italian bartender named Walter Chell way back in 1969 — inspired by his favourite dish spaghetti vongole (as mentioned in The Great Canadian Bucket List: One-of-a-Kind Travel Experiences).
The classic Caesar uses clamato juice, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, a stalk of celery, a wedge of lime, a celery-salt-rimmed glass, and most importantly, 1.5 ounce of vodka.
But the New West eatery's gin-infused Caesar includes Tanqueray gin, traditional Caesar spices, and is topped with a cucumber wheel and lime.
Whether you are curious about this Clamato and gin combo or simply need a mid-week pick-me-up, you have two days to seize the Caesar experience.
The Caesar flight is available at the Kelly O'Bryan's Restaurant and Carlos O'Bryan's Pub (800 Columbia St.) till Thursday, May 18. When you order one at the local eatery and pub, you stand a chance to win a Caesar setup basket and a retro cooler.
