cocktails – Darin Cook

Falling on the third Thursday in May, National Caesar Day kicks off the May 2-4 long weekend. For Canadians, this is the unofficial beginning of summer and the Caesar has become our most beloved and patriotic cocktail. Canadian restaurant manager Walter Chell is credited for inventing the Caesar at an Italian restaurant in Calgary in 1969. By mimicking the flavours of an Italian dish, spaghetti vongole, he mixed his own clam broth and tomato juice to create this uniquely Canadian elixir. Shortly after, as it quickly became a favourite national drink, Mott’s came out with the bottled version of their Clamato cocktail for easier mixing of Caesars at home and in bars. And the rest is history. Read more

If David Wondrich had not already won a James Beard Award for Wine & Spirits writing, his book could be nominated for a fake prize in the Longest Title category with its full title being Imbibe! From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar, Featuring the Original Formulae for 100 Classic American Drinks and a Selection of New Drinks Contributed in his Honor by the Leading Mixologists of our Time. For our reading and drinking pleasure, Wondrich plays the role of cocktail history authority by paying tribute to the old school style of mixology by bringing to light the contributions of notable barman, Jerry Thomas (1830–1885). Between the American Revolution and Prohibition (1783–1920), mixing drinks became “the first legitimate American culinary art” and Thomas was in the thick of it. Near the middle of this timeframe, around 1856, the term “mixologist” started being used to describe bartenders who were experimenting with new concoction. Shortly after that in 1862, Thomas started to document these recipes and is credited for writing the world’s first bartending guide, How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon Vivant’s Companion. Read more

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All Hail Caesar!

Historic Mixology