Calgary, Alberta – The infamous Bloody Caesar cocktail was invented in 1969, by bartender Walter Chell at the Westin Hotel. He had been asked to concoct a drink to commemorate the opening of Marco’s, the hotel’s Italian restaurant. Using its Italian cuisine for inspiration, he came up with a mixture of hand-mashed clams, tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper; then garnished it with a celery stick and named it for the Roman Emperor – a ‘Bloody Caesar’. Later, with assistance from Chell, the Mott Company went on to develop ‘clamato’ juice. With this, the popularity of the cocktail has spread to the point that about 250 million Mott’s Clamato Caesars are created and consumed annually.

The Westin Hotel is in the heart of downtown Calgary, at 320 4th Ave. SW. That’s next to the Bow River at Eau Claire Market.

Quick Tip: The hotel, which has a rooftop pool and sauna, is connected to Calgary’s 16.6 km climate-controlled pedestrian walkway system called Plus 15. Photo courtesy The Westin Calgary

Bloody Caesar Recipe: 1 oz Vodka, Clamato juice, 1 dash Worcestershire sauce, 1 dash Tabasco sauce, Salt, Pepper, Celery salt, Celery stick, Rim a tall glass with celery salt and fill with ice. Add vodka, fill glass with Clamato juice, and add Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Garnish with a celery stick and enjoy! (Source: Tourism Calgary)

Have you been for a Caesar?