The Caesar is a quintessentially Canadian beverage, and if you don't feel like mixing up the cocktail yourself, the LCBO offers quite a few tinned options.
While there may be some debate about what a Caesar has to include, according to the New York Times, the popular drink should have celery salt, garlic salt, steak seasoning, lime juice, vodka, Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato-claim juice and a pickled vegetable for garnish.
Quite frankly, I am lazy and that sounds like far too many ingredients to source and deal with, so I headed to the LCBO near me and picked up a few cans to give them a good old-fashioned taste test.
I picked up The Keg 'Keg Size' Caesar, Walter Craft Caesar - Classic, Mott's Clamato Extra Spicy Caesar, Matt & Steve's Caesar - Hot & Spicy, Mott's Clamato Original Caesar and Matt & Steve's Caesar Original Lightly Spiced.
I know you're supposed to give these a shake and serve them in a glass over ice, but as mentioned, I'm lazy, and let's keep it real — we all drink it out of the can anyway, so that is how I shall be tasting them for this experiment.
The Keg 'Keg Size' Caesar
I love ordering a Caesar when I go to The Keg, so I had high hopes for this can that were unfortunately not met.
My first sip of this made me pull a puckered face, and overall, I found this to have a sour taste, too much spice and not enough tomato. This drink has a higher alcohol content than any of the others, and I do wonder if that led to an imbalance of flavours that just couldn't quite find a harmonious middle ground.
If anything, this drink seems like an advertisement for The Keg spice mix that's available in stores, because that's the only real discernable tasting note I was able to get from this tin.
Rating: 1/5
ABV: 7%
Price: $3.70 (for 458 mL)
Walter Craft Caesar - Classic
I had never tried a Walter product and I was disappointed that the most expensive can on this list turned out to be just okay.
It's thicker than the others, has a deeper tomato taste than The Keg's offering and has more of a depth of flavour, but drinking it feels like you're sucking down tomato soup, and not in a good way.
I didn't really mind this Caesar, but by the time I reached the halfway point, I felt quite full. As well, I felt it needed a bit more spice, but that could just be a me problem!
Rating: 1.5/5
ABV: 4.5%
Price: $3.85 (for 458 mL)
Matt & Steve's Caesar - Hot & Spicy
I like the ketchup-y sweet flavour this Caesar gives it first, but it has a bit of a back-of-the-throat burning sensation and as a fan of hot sauce and all things spicy, it did not live up to its promise of "hot and spicy" in any way.
This drink falls squarely in the "if it's there, I'll drink it" category, but it wouldn't be something I'd go out of my way to pick up from the store.
Rating: 2.5/5
ABV: 5.5%
Price: $3.40
Mott's Clamato Extra Spicy Caesar
The Mott's Clamato Extra Spicy Caesar really took me by surprise in this taste test because it happens to be the one I usually buy when I'm headed up to my cottage.
If you're drinking it while you're hungover in the middle of nowhere Ontario, it's totally fine, but when you test it against its peers, it falls a bit short.
It's nicely seasoned and has a good spice, but the taste disappears very, very quickly, and overall, I just wanted a bit more from this drink.
Rating: 3/5
ABV: 5.5%
Price: $3.55 (for 458 mL)
Mott's Clamato Original Caesar
I am genuinely surprised that I like the original Caesar more than the spicy, but here we are.
I found this beverage to have a smooth and flavourful tomato juice taste with the right balance of clam juice for that briny flavour. This definitely had the best flavour in comparison to the other four but it does have a hint of artificiality in the taste, and not in the delightful aspartame way that Diet Coke has.
I'd say it could also use a bit of horseradish or Tabasco, but overall I appreciate the fact that you can suck it down quickly, because sometimes that's what you want when you're trapped with your family at the cottage with no Wi-Fi.
Rating: 4/5
ABV: 5.5%
Price: $3.55 (458 mL)
Matt & Steve's Caesar Original Lightly Spiced
I'd never had a Caesar from Matt & Steve before this taste test and I was so pleasantly surprised by this tasty tinned drink.
It has a really lovely spice mix that gives you some heat without an aggressive kick, which is delightful, and you can definitely taste the celery salt.
It's rich, briney, tomato-y, complex and just a little bitter, but not in a bad way, and overall, this drink tastes the most like a mixed cocktail you'd order at a bar.
The next time I'm headed up to the cottage, this will absolutely be the can I pick up at the LCBO!
Rating: 5/5
ABV: 5.5%
Price: $3.40 (473 mL)
If you're more of a wine drinker, I recently tried some of the cheapest wines at the LCBO and as it turns out, it's pretty easy to find a decent bottle for under $10 if you know what you're looking for. While some of the bottles were a definite pass, there were three that I deemed worthy of buying again!
Narcity does not condone the overconsumption of alcohol. If you're going to drink alcohol, please do so responsibly and only if you're of legal age.
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
I Ranked 6 Caesar's From The LCBO & The Winning Can Took Me By Complete Surprise (PHOTOS)
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