by HOLLY CRAWFORD
With Canada Day quickly approaching, add this uniquely Canadian cocktail to your long weekend menu.
Created by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, the recipe for this version was provided by Reynolds and published in the recently released book Caesar Country, by Aaron Harowitz and Zack Silverman, founders of Walter Craft Caesar. If you aren’t familiar with Walter Craft Caesar, this much-loved, locally made cocktail mixer is a must-try. The Toronto brand began as a Caesar mixer, and now offers an expanded range including pre-mixed Caesar cocktails.
“To me, the taste of a Caesar is the taste of home. It’s the quintessential Canadian cocktail and one of the first drinks I ever had. We lived on Crescent Drive, hence the name,” Vancouver native Ryan Reynolds says. “My recipe is a Caesar Gin Martini, made dirty. My lawyers said I am contractually obliged to make it with Aviation gin so I did but—don’t tell them—I would make it with Aviation regardless because it’s delicious. The citrus and floral notes of Aviation balance the savoury flavour of Walter and keep the salty olive brine in check. Enjoy!”
The Crescent Caesar
- Serves 1
- Glassware: 1 coupe, chilled
- 2½ oz (75 ml) Aviation American Gin
- ½ oz (15 ml) dry (white) vermouth
- ½ oz (15 ml) Caesar mix, Mild
- ¼ oz (7.5 ml) lemon juice, finely strained
- 1 tsp olive brine
- Garnish
- lemon peel (1 to 2 inches/ 2.5 to 5 cm long) or 3 olives, on a skewer
- Pour the gin, vermouth, Caesar mix, lemon juice, and olive brine into a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice to just above the top of the liquid and stir with a bar spoon until the outside of the shaker is very cold to the touch.
- Strain the contents of the shaker into the chilled glass and garnish with the lemon peel and olive skewer.