A Caesar, a classic Canadian cocktail, is as popular as its American counterpart the Bloody Mary.  So what’s the difference, you ask?  The ingredients include Clamato, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt (and perhaps celery salt), black pepper and vodka.  The addition of clam juice is what gives the Canadian Caesar its umami flavor.  Canadian bartenders know that garnishes are almost as important as clam juice.  And by the way, a stick of celery isn’t going to cut it if you want to really show off this awesome drink!  Think of skewered pickles, stuffed olives, shrimp, scallops, smoked bacon.  It can come dressed to look like an antipasto!  Need more inspiration?  Click here.

When I eat fresh oysters, I want them au naturel.  I want to savor the salinity in the meat, taste the flavor of seaweed (dulse) if the oyster has been harvested from the ocean’s floor. When ordered from a restaurant, they’re usually accompanied by two or three condiments.  I ignore these and slurp back how nature intended me to taste them.  Anything else would be a sacrilege that is until I made this Caesar granita.  I know, I can hear what you must be saying.  The thing is, though, this granita actually does compliment the flavor of the meat without compromising it.  There’s a hint of salt, a hint of heat, ice keeps the meat cool, and the vodka mixes beautifully with the natural juice from the oyster.

1 cup Mott’s Clamato juice
1/2 cup vodka
2 drops Worcestershire sauce
hot sauce

Combine ingredients, place in a container and freeze for a couple of hours.  Remove from freezer and using a spoon scrape to loosen up into ice crystals.  Use about half to one teaspoon of the granita for each oyster and serve immediately.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Not a fan of oysters? Serve the granita on a tablespoon as a palate cleanser or atop freshly sliced heirloom tomatoes with torn buffalo mozzarella.  Enjoy!