It’s iconically Canadian. It’s acceptable to drink morning, day or night. It’s a cocktail, it’s a meal or both… It’s the Caesar!

Thanks to my dad and his badass Caesar making skills, the Caesar was my first ever cocktail, or should I say mocktail, since I was 12 years old when I tried my first virgin Caesar. Ever since that day, the Caesar has held a special place in my Canadian heart.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Caesar, the main ingredient is Clamato juice, a combination of tomato juice, spices and clam broth. Yes, I just said clam broth. Strange? Yes. Delicious? YES!

The ingredients in clamato juice are one of those things that I didn’t give a second thought to looking up. The day I finally did turn that jug of Mott’s Clamato juice over to read the back panel, my heart broke a little. Turns out this beloved national drink is full of MSG, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial colours. After that sad, sad day, I set out to make my own clamato juice, without any harmful ingredients.

With National Caesar Day upon us and a long weekend in our midst, today is the day!

Check out the below recipes for both my Homemade Clamato Juice and Caesar cocktail. Without MSG to pump up its flavour my clamato recipe is a bit more subtle. Although it might not be as punchy as a traditional Caesar, I find it much more refreshing and of course HEALTHY! There’s even a splash of apple cider vinegar in there to help keep your tummy feeling good :). And bonus, no added sugar!

Homemade Clamato Caesar

For the Clamato Juice:

• 5 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp. celery salt
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• The juice of one lime
• 2 Tbsp. clam juice
• 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 3 1/2 cups of water

Add all the ingredients into a large mason jar and whisk to combine. Set the jar in the fridge to let the flavours mingle for a couple of hours or more before making your Caesar. Be sure to shake the jar before use. Store in the fridge.

To make the Caesar:

Make a seasoning mix of celery salt, coarse sea salt, and coarse black pepper to rim your glass.

Prepare your cocktail glass or small mason jar by rimming your glass with lemon or lime juice, and your seasoning mix.

Ingredients:

• Ice cubes
• 1 ounce of Vodka or Tequila (omit to make it alcohol-free)
• 6 to 8 splashes of Worcestershire (or vegan Worcestershire)
• 3 to 4 generous shakes of celery salt (I like it salty)
• Tobasco sauce to taste
• The juice of half a lime
• A few cracks of lemon pepper
• Homemade Clamato juice

Add the ice, vodka, Worcestershire, celery salt, Tobasco, lime, and lemon pepper to your prepared cocktail glass. Top your glass with Homemade Clamato juice, stir well and top with your favourite Caesar toppings — like celery sticks, lime wedges, spicy pickled beans, pickled asparagus, anything pickled really… shrimp, a veggie burger, almost anything seems to be fair game, and ENJOY!

Cheers!!