How to make Caesars/Caesar recipes - Franks RedHot

To make a classic Caesar cocktail, you'll need a few indispensable ingredients:

Vodka: Strictly speaking, any vodka will do, but a smooth, balanced spirit will give the other flavours the room they deserve. You don't need to use top-shelf vodka here, as its nuance will get lost among the drink's strong flavours. Just buy a neutrally-flavoured version, or one of the specialist Caesar vodkas that are already infused with spices, if you're feeling fancy.

Clamato juice: Originally, Chell mixed tomato and clam juice, but then Clamato juice came along as a pre-mixed alternative. This is one place not to skimp — get a quality Clamato, or even make your own from tomato juice and clam broth if you want to unlock your inner artisan.

Hot sauce: A Caesar should be spicy. Hot sauce gives this feisty little drink the fire it needs.

Rim mix: A Caesar isn't a Caesar without a rim dipped in a salty, savoury crust. Celery salt is the most common rim mixture, but some people jazz it up by mixing it with smoked paprika or chili powder. Our True North Caesar mixes maple sugar with the celery salt for a complex, salty-sweet flavour. A pinch of Seasoned Salt Seasoning adds yet another layer of spicy garlic flavour, because that's just how Canadians roll.

Worcestershire sauce: This condiment, originally from England, provides a tangy edge that perfectly complements the heat of the hot sauce.

Making a Caesar might not involve a cocktail shaker, but it's still an involved process, and for a truly stupendous drink you'll want to get it right. There are three stages:

Rim it. Run a lime wedge around the glass to wet it, and then dip the glass's rim upside down in your rim mixture.

Mix it. After the rim comes the ingredients, and the mixing order matters. Add lots of ice first, followed by the Worcestershire sauce. Then comes the Clamato sauce, chased by the hot sauce. Finally comes the booze, which you should top with a liberal dose of salt and pepper.

Garnish it. This can be as simple as adding in the mandatory and eccentric-looking celery stalk. This makes your drink technically complete, but hold on — garnishing is a whole thing, and deserves its own section.

If you really want your Caesar to shine, consider adding an extra garnish or two. Or three. There's really no limit here. There are whole competitions for this.

Alongside a celery stalk, many bars opt for a pedestrian-looking olive, while others push the envelope with a pickled vegetable. Beans, asparagus spears, and dill pickles have all found their way into Caesars in the past. A fiery pepper would also work for those who want to amp up the heat.

Get even more creative by adding seafood like a shrimp or even a small crab leg. This Fried Shrimp Caesar Recipe fries the shrimp in panko breadcrumbs to make them even more impressive, while also adding brown sugar and paprika into the mix for extra flavour.

Some have even been known to include bacon strips, pepperoni sticks, or even onion rings. This drink could turn into an entire meal if you keep going. One of our most decadent Caesar drinks is the Brunch Caesar, which includes eggs, bacon, and a stack of pancakes — as a garnish!

So now you have the ingredients and techniques for making a decent Caesar. However, there's still room to raise your game. Here are some tips from taking a Caesar from good to great.

Choose the right glass. In Canada, using a Martini glass for a Caesar is a criminal offence. It's also really messy. Use a tall glass to make room for all the ridiculously weird ingredients that you'll put in this drink. A highball is perfect.

Chill everything. A lukewarm Caesar drink is also a cocktail crime. Quality Caesars are supposed to be served cold. Ensure this by chilling everything - including all of the liquid ingredients, and the glass.

Use the right ice. We're not talking about ice freshly chipped from a great Canadian glacier here, although we'll give you extra points for that. Just avoid small ice cubes. Large chunks will melt more slowly and avoid diluting those strong flavours.

Add some horseradish. Fresh only, please, and you don't need to add more than a pinch — but it will bring your Caesar alive with its vibrant spice.

Carbonate it. This will raise eyebrows among the purists, but you can lighten a traditionally heavy drink by adding a little soda water to introduce some sparkle and fizz.

Spicy cocktails are not new. The Bloody Mary springs to mind, and there are spicy margaritas and martinis. But the Caesar is something special. Aside from its complex flavour profile, it's also a cocktail with a world of possibilities thanks to its amazing garnish and ingredient options. Plus, it's also quintessentially Canadian. So fill your glass, kick back, and enjoy.

Got a taste for spicy cocktails? Here are some other options.

• Tex Mex Virgin Shrimp Caesar

• Buffalo Wing Caesar

• Caesar with Applewood Bacon Grilling Salt