The Caesar is Canada's tomato-and-clam-juice cocktail, vodka with Clamato, hot sauce, Worcestershire and celery salt rim. It is Canada's national cocktail and ordered hourly at Toronto bars.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
The Caesar was invented in 1969 by Walter Chell at the Calgary Inn, who blended fresh-mashed clams, tomato and spices to create a Canadian version of the Bloody Mary. Mott's launched the Clamato clam-tomato juice base shortly after, locking the recipe into industrial production. By the 1980s the Caesar had become Canada's national cocktail; Toronto bars including Allen's on the Danforth pour it as a brunch and aperitif standard alongside variations with smoked-salt rims and pickled-bean garnishes.
Common allergens: Shellfish
Tip from the editors. The celery salt rim is non-negotiable. Use Mott's Clamato; homemade clam-tomato purees don't carry the same balance. A splash of pickle brine helps.
Bar Raval on College runs vermouth on tap and Spanish bar snacks from a mahogany Art Nouveau counter since 2015, Grant van Gameren's room the Michelin Bib.
Signature drink: Vermouth on tap, manzanilla sherry
Food: Pintxos and Spanish snacks
Order: A vermouth on the rocks with a slice of jamon iberico.
Tip: Walk-ins only. Arrive before 17:30 for an easy stool. Open from 09:00 for the coffee crowd.
Bymark on Wellington in the TD Towers atrium is Mark McEwan's downtown chophouse since 2002, floor-to-ceiling wine cellar and the city's reference business.
Signature: Dry-aged steak, Bymark burger
Order: The dry-aged ribeye, or the Bymark burger with truffle and brie at lunch.
Tip: Lunch service the easiest reservation. Sunday closed; Saturday dinner only. The McEwan Group runs three other rooms in town.
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