As a present, my little brother recently gave me a
glass skull shot glass and a blank composition book titled, “People I Want to
Punch in the Face.” We Gelsomins are not a violent bunch. But we do have a sick sense of humor.
I mention this because I finally had the
chance to use my new morbid barware last Sunday. Turns out, one and a
half ounces of vodka fills up to the skull’s would-be procerus—the
booze hits right underneath the eyebrows.
But right. I am not here to talk faux-skull anatomy. No. I am
here to discuss a better Bloody Mary. A lighter, more whimsical Bloody Mary.
If you allow my use of whimsy and blood in the same sentence.
To complicate matters a tad, this
cocktail is technically called a César. (And I will henceforth leave figures with murderous undertones out of this.) The drink is essentially
a Canadian version of the standard aforementioned brunch cocktail.
This recipe comes from the brains behind Joe Beef and Liverpool House, Frédéric Morin and David McMillan. Brilliant men. The two have
mastered the art of fanciful, nostalgic food.
They do things like serve Hot Oysters on the Radio. (Or on bags of sugar,
erotic novels, albums, whatever.) They’ve been known to bring their own
foie gras on train trips. And their own vintage glassware when ice fishing.
They also subscribe to extreme cocktail
garnishing. Which is fine by
me. A mutiny of accoutrement is
precisely what I’m after.
I recommend a lemon and lime slice for
starters. The obligatory celery stalk, of course. Perhaps a pickle,
an olive or two, and preferably at least one type of shellfish. Dave and I decided a plump oyster crown
would do.
The cocktail is spicy, savory, and skillfully employs Clamato juice as a vodka transporter of sorts.
And they go down easy. So watch
it. You don’t want to end up on anyone’s face-punching list.
The César
Adapted from The Art of Living According to Joe Beef: A Cookbook of Sorts by Frédéric Morin, David McMillan, and
Meredith Erickson
Ingredients:
Old Bay
seasoning (for garnish) (or you could try this)
1½ ounces of
vodka (up to the eyebrows in a skull shot glass, or one shot)
dash of
Worcestershire
few dashes of
Tabasco
½ tsp grated
horseradish, or to taste
salt and pepper,
to taste
4 to 6 ounces
Clamato juice
at least one
lemon and lime wedge or slice
2 olives
1 pickle spear
1 celery stalk
1 raw oyster
Instructions:
Place the Old
Bay or seasoning mixture on a plate.
Dip the edge of a pint glass into water or rub it with the wedge of a
lemon. Turn the glass upside down
and press the edge into the seasoning, moving it gently in a circular motion to
help the spices stick.
Fill the glass
at least halfway with ice. Add the
vodka, Worcestershire, Tabasco, horseradish, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Fill the glass up with Clamato to the
top (allowing a little room for garnish displacement). Stir, taste, and adjust the seasoning,
as needed.
Add in the
citrus, olives, pickle spear, and celery.
Top with an opened oyster, or seafood garnish of your choice.
Makes one
cocktail.
Notes:
-In a pinch, I used
ground piment d’Espelette and a little salt in place of the Old Bay.
-A lobster claw
would be a keen addition. Other
pickled vegetables, such as dilly beans, would be wonderful here, as well.
-You can see
both the subtle skull shot glass and Bostonian Bully Boy vodka bottle in the
background. This is just an aside.
-Don't have Clamato? Try one part tomato juice to two parts clam juice, as suggested here.
