If you’re looking to ramp up your Bloody Mary love, it’s time to meet and greet the Caesar cocktail. It’s the Canadian cousin to the famous brunch drink, and it packs a little extra something. Clamato Picante (see on Amazon) delivers not only the unique clam flavor you expect, but also a punch of jalapeño puree. Top that with a few dashes of Tabasco, and this is one cocktail that’s certain to wake you up.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Savory, briny tomato with a hint of clam, a jalapeño kick, deep Worcestershire flavor and a salty celery rim. |
| Primary heat source | Clamato Picante, which has jalapeño puree in it, plus Tabasco Original Red at 2,500 to 5,000 SHU. |
| Heat level | Mild, with plenty of room to go hotter. Add more Tabasco a dash at a time. |
| How to serve it | Over ice in tall glasses with a celery salt rim, a celery stalk and a lime wedge or olives. |
| Best uses | Weekend brunch, game days, and anyone who already likes a Bloody Mary. |
| Customization ideas | A hotter hot sauce, a splash of pickle brine, or pickled green beans or jalapeños as a garnish. |
| Before you start | About 5 minutes for two drinks. Chill the Clamato ahead of time. |
Flavor notes
The Caesar was created in 1969 by Walter Chell, a restaurant manager at the Calgary Inn in Calgary, Alberta. What sets it apart from a Bloody Mary is the clam broth, which comes in through the Clamato. And it caught on fast. Within a few years, it was a favorite around Calgary, and from there it spread east across Canada.
A classic Caesar gets its heat from hot sauce alone. Here, the heat starts in the mixer, since Clamato Picante lists jalapeño pepper puree among its ingredients. Jalapeños run 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville heat units, and Tabasco Original Red falls in that same range at 2,500 to 5,000, so this is a lively drink but not a scorching one.
That means the Tabasco is your dial. Two dashes per glass gives a gentle kick on top of the Clamato Picante. But if you want more, stir in another dash, taste, and keep going until it’s where you like it.
Rim the glasses before you add anything else, since it’s much easier with an empty glass. Run a lime wedge around the edge, then press the rim into a small plate of celery salt and give it a little twist so the salt sticks all the way around. Want a spicier rim? Mix a pinch of cayenne into the celery salt.
Start with cold Clamato, straight from the fridge. That way the drink is cold from the first sip, and the ice won’t water it down as quickly. But keep in mind that Clamato contains clam broth and Worcestershire sauce usually contains anchovies, so this isn’t a drink for vegetarians or anyone with a fish or shellfish allergy.
Adaptation ideas
Most of these change the heat, or what goes in the glass besides the vodka.
- Want more heat? Add more Tabasco, use a hotter habanero sauce, or drop a few thin slices of fresh jalapeño into each glass.
- Can’t find Clamato Picante? Use regular Clamato, and add an extra dash or two of Tabasco to each glass to make up for the missing jalapeño.
- Want it alcohol-free? Make a Virgin Caesar. Skip the vodka and top each glass with a little more Clamato.
- Want it more briny? Add a small splash of pickle or olive brine, or garnish with pickled green beans or a dill pickle spear.
- Want a different spirit? Gin or tequila can stand in for the vodka, if that’s what you’d rather drink.
Serving ideas
It’s a brunch drink first, but it fits anywhere you’d pour a Bloody Mary.
- At brunch. Next to eggs, hash browns and bacon, or a big plate of huevos rancheros.
- With seafood. Alongside oysters, shrimp cocktail or fried clams, which echo the clam in the Clamato.
- On game day. Mix a pitcher without the ice, then pour it into rimmed glasses of ice as people need refills.
- With a garnish spread. Set out celery, lime wedges, olives and pickled vegetables, and let everyone build their own.
Storage notes
The drink itself is best right after you make it. If you’re mixing a pitcher ahead, leave out the ice, keep it in the fridge, and use it the same day. Stir it before pouring, since the tomato tends to settle.
Once it’s open, keep the Clamato tightly capped in the fridge, and check the label for how soon to finish it. Tabasco and Worcestershire keep for a long time in the pantry.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Cajun Bloody Mary: A Bloody Mary loaded with Cajun seasoning and cayenne, with spice at every turn.
- Sriracha Bloody Mary: The classic brunch drink with the garlicky heat of rooster sauce.
- Spicy Tomato Juice: A cayenne-spiked tomato juice to sip on its own or use as a mixer.
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Spicy Caesar Cocktail
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Clamato Picante 1 1/2 cups, chilled
- 2 ounces vodka 1 ounce per drink
- 4 dashes Tabasco hot sauce
- 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 2 pinches ground black pepper freshly ground
- 2 celery stalks plus lime wedges or olives, for garnish
- lime wedge and celery salt optional, to rim the glasses
Instructions
- (Optional) Rim two tall glasses: run a cut lime wedge around each rim, then dip the rims in celery salt.
- Fill each glass about halfway with ice, then pour 6 ounces (3/4 cup) of Clamato Picante into each.
- Add 1 ounce of vodka, 2 dashes of Tabasco and 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce to each glass. Stir to combine.
- Top each drink with a pinch of black pepper, then garnish with a celery stalk and a lime wedge or olives. Taste, and add more Tabasco if you want more heat.
