The Canadian national drink is the caesar and since anyone can remember we have not once questioned the Clamato. Any kind of vodka is fine, the addition of other booze, not a problem. We throw Slim Jims, pickled okra and raw oysters into them and no one bats an eye. But the Clamato is the constant, since the drink was invented the rule seemed to be – you can’t have a caesar without Clamato. But maybe that is because we had no alternative. There was no President’s Choice Tomato Clam Cocktail on the shelves to compete, so we just went with what we were used to. Until now. Finally there is an alternative to Clamato and it is made right here in Ontario. Walter, named after the inventor of the caesar – Walter Chell who came up with the drink in Calgary in 1969 – is a beautiful product made with quality ingredients.

Now we’re not knocking Clamato, it makes for a fine and dandy mixer and we’ve been true to it for most of our lives. But sometimes it’s nice to be able to whip up a caesar and not have to worry about all the MSG and preservatives that are in Clamato. Walter is made with all natural ingredients, no high fructose corn syrup, no MSG, no artificial colours or flavours and it is made in small batches, not mass produced in the millions.

We just got it on the shelves and are excited for everyone to try their first Clamato-free caesar and let us know in the comments what you think of it. To that end, here’s our favourite caesar recipe, the original one created by Walter Chell himself:

Bloody Caesar

1 ounce vodka (did you know there is a vodka distillery in Ontario now? Still Waters, try it out and make this drink super local)

2 dashes of hot sauce

3 pinches of salt and pepper

4 dashes Worcestershire sauce

top it up with Clamato – or in this case Walter!