The list of alcoholic drinks that are socially acceptable to imbibe before
9 a.m. is short, but Canada has made an important contribution. (And, no, we’re not referring to that thing you do with Tim Hortons and a flask on the subway.) The Marcus Brutus, dreamed up at Ottawa hangout The Albion Rooms, is an elevated spin on the classic Caesar. “Drink it in the morning,” say the bar team, “preferably after a night of boisterous shenanigans.” This spicy sip is best enjoyed curled up in a Muskoka chair with Ryan Gosling at your feet playing “The Hockey Song” on a lute.

The Marcus Brutus                            

How the bar describes it: “Our house made rimmer, pickle juice, hot sauce and spiced syrup, combined with a dash of red wine, dill infused vodka and Walter Caesar. Garnished with cucumber and Seed to Sausage salami and sausage.”
 

Disclaimer: Yes, this recipe is nearly as long as our country is wide. But much like traversing our land on a cross-country roadtrip, the effort is so worth it. 

Ingredients:

2 Lemon Wedges
1 oz Dill Infused Vodka
½ oz Ripasso Wine (or any red)
15mL Spicy Pickle Juice (see below)
2.5mL Spiced Syrup (see below)
2.5ml Sriracha
Walter Caesar All Natural Craft Caesar Mix (Mildly Spiced)
Worcestershire
 

Brush edges of 500mL mason jar with thin coating of honey and generously coat in rimmer mix. Muddle lemon wedges, add vodka, wine, pickle juice, syrup and hot sauce. Add ice and top with Walter Caesar Mildly Spiced, topped with generous shakes of Worcestershire.
 
Garnish with thick cucumber slice and Seed to Sausage cured meats like Saucisson Sec or Chorizo sausage and Calabrese and Hunter Salami on pick.

The elements:

Dill Infused Vodka

1 bunch Fresh Dill
1 Bottle Absolut Vodka

Pour 1 oz of vodka out of bottle and insert herbs into bottle. Let sit at least 24 hours, the long it sits, the dillier it gets.
 
Pickle Bean Liquid

4 Cups Red Wine Vinegar
2 Cups White Wine Vinegar
5 Cups White Sugar
2 Cups Brown Sugar
½ Cup Salt
1 Teaspoon All Spice
4 Cinnamon Sticks
2 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
2 Teaspoon Black Peppercorns
2 Teaspoon Pink Peppercorns
2 Bay Leaves
½ Teaspoon Fennel Seeds
2 Tablespoons Dried Chipotle Peppers
 
Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Pickle juice from the jar can be substituted.

Spiced Syrup

4 Star Anise
30 Cloves
3 Cinnamon Sticks
40 Grates of Nutmeg
16 Thin slices of Ginger
4 tsp Allspice
4 Cups Unrefined Cane Sugar
4 Cups Water
 
Rimmer

200g Bacon (cooked, cooled chopped in food processer until little bits)
100g MTL Steak Spice blend      
15g Fresh Dill (chopped, no stems)
1 Tablespoon Dried Dill Weed
2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
4 Teaspoon Paprika
50g White Sugar
40g Brown Sugar

Mix all ingredients together and lay on sheet pan with parchment. Bake at 200F for 90 minutes.

Photograph credits: Cocktail styled by Nancy Midwicki; prop styling by Madeleine Johari; drink pick courtesy BYOB

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