Spicing up food and drink

TORONTO—On the 40th anniversary of a Canadian's invention of the Caesar, the spicy drink is still as popular as ever. In 2008, an estimated 300 million Caesars were consumed in this country alone.

Created in Calgary by bartender Walter Chell in 1969, mixologist Gavin MacMillan, director of operations for BartenderOne, calls it “a massive Canadian success story.”

Chell came up with idea for the Caesar to mark the opening of Marco’s restaurant at the Calgary Inn, now known as the Westin Hotel Calgary.

For Canadians, the classic ingredients for the Caesar are tomato clam cocktail, Worcestershire sauce, vodka, salt and pepper, Tabasco pepper sauce and a garnish of celery and a lime wedge. 

Tabasco sauce is not just for Caesars anymore, as it can be added to a range of food and drink for a little secret kick to set operators apart from their competitors.

“Tabasco fits into any menu, not just in fine dining or casual,” said Shasky corporate chef Ralph Bettany.

“It is simple to use in wraps and pizza and Tabasco can be mixed with any ingredient.”

Bettany said the key to using Tabasco, which comes in six flavours: chipotle, green pepper, garlic pepper, the classic pepper, habanero, and the newest, sweet and spicy, is to match the colour of the sauce with the colour of the dish. For salad, use the green pepper flavour.

“It is so versatile that it can be used in soup, stew and salad. It really brings out the flavour profile of the actual dish,” Bettany said.

“Think of it as a light salt seasoning. You don’t have to taste the Tabasco to bring the flavour forward.”

A mix of both high end, casual and fast food restaurants are using pepper sauce in either front or back of house in recipes or for customer use on the table.

The Keg, Alice Fazooli's, Extreme Pita and Pizza Pizza are among the operators currently offering pepper sauce as an addition to menu items.

Education is necessary to get chefs or restaurant owners onside with the idea of adding a little spice to their dishes, but they don't need much convincing, Bettany said.

“It’s a case of getting the chef to realize the potential is there. They walk away with a whole different opinion of Tabasco,” he said.

On the beverage side, consumers are looking for unique drinks with an interesting combination of ingredients—the rum and coke does not always cut it anymore, according to mixologist Gavin MacMillan.

Just as chefs are designers with food, so too are bartenders, who toss around the idea of molecular mixology.

“There was a recent survey done with 1,600 chefs and the culinary cocktail was identified as the number one emerging trend,” MacMillan said.

“Owners are approaching the bar program from a culinary perspective.”

In fact, bartenders are not called bartenders anymore. A new phrase is being coined: the bar chef, for their ability to take into consideration ingredients and flavours to present a unique beverage product.

At the places MacMillan has conducted training seminars, he said, “it’s been an easy sell” among bartenders. Garlic, bacon, jalapeno, lemon pepper, horseradish and Tabasco sauce are some of the ingredients he’s used in cocktails to set them apart.

“Bartenders want to differentiate themselves. You’re creating a different kind of cocktail experience.”

Toronto restaurants Vertical and Kultura, and the biggest booster of the concept, Bar Chef, are three establishments that employ bar chefs to elevate the experience for patrons, with increased sales as a result.