Even this Caesar has its Brutus - it just goes by the name Mary. Forget the perfect gathering for mixing this drink. All we ask is that you don't serve a Bloody Mary in its place.

By typical definition, Mary is a bracer - a pick-me-up for when you're down. It's what you drink before noon, in anticipation of reclaimed common sense. It's not a digestif, but it might as well be.

The Caesar, well, that's an entirely different drink, despite its similar appearance and ingredients. Few would guess what different proportions and a little clam juice do to a Bloody Mary. Compared to that drink, the Caesar is a social butterfly with an appetite. Late afternoon or evening gatherings, along with a hefty helping of hors d'oeuvres, suit this aperitif. Guests most appreciate the Caesar after Labor Day and during the fall. That's assuming, of course, they aren't Canadians, who mix this drink year-round.

Made with 1 ounce vodka, 4 ounces tomato-clam juice, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce (pronounced "what's-this-here-sauce") with several splashes of horseradish - the Caesar doesn't refresh, it soothes a craving for a cocktail of substance. Its unique salty bite is a catalyst for creating an appetite for hearty fare, but it requires plenty of ice. A Caesar served without peaks of ice will be ruined by the horseradish, but one with the proper amount of ice can be made as spicy-hot as you like.

Since no other cocktail really complements the Caesar's unique taste, opt for flavored vodkas if you would like to offer your guests some variety. Lemon vodkas give a particularly different twist to this drink, while pepper vodkas only compound the Caesar's spices into an undrinkable libation that's a little too reminiscent of Tabasco sauce.

Tequila and, surprisingly, rum can be substituted for vodka in the Caesar. When either spirit is used, the drink becomes the Bloody Maria. For loyal gin drinkers, mix Red Snappers. Essentially the same as the Caesar, the Red Snapper just swaps gin for vodka.

For a real treat, frost the glass' rim with celery salt. First, slide a lemon wedge around the lip of a chilled glass. Then, simply pour the salt onto a small dish and briefly place the glass upside down in the salt, and then mix as usual. Interestingly enough, some say it's really the celery salt that keeps imbibers craving Caesars. But as host, stand your ground when it comes to the etiquette of celery salt: Never re-salt a glass unless a second drink is ordered.

At Cocktail, we rarely promote particular brands. But when it comes to tomato-clam juice, there's really only one: Mott's Clamato. Even in Canada, where there's a real market for tomato-clam juice, it's tough to find anything else. In the UK, it's impossible to even buy the juice. But having concocted some homemade clamato, we certainly wouldn't recommend trying it: Our tomato-clam juice always tastes too fishy. Besides, it looks like hemoglobin. So we stand behind Mott's Clamato juice, though we're never certain whether we'll find it in the canned-fish aisle or with the V-8.

Canadians insist that their Caesars are more attractive than those made in the United States. According to David Kanary of Mott's-Canada, the Canadians might have a point because the FDA doesn't allow the use of the traditional red dye in Clamato sold in the United States - something about "high doses ... in the diet of male rats associated with thyroid tumors." But Mott's assures us that the juices taste the same and that the male Canadian rats are handling theirs well.

Hosts in the United States need to rely on their garnishing skills to cover the flat red of their Clamato juice. Keep in mind, of course, that a garnish should not look like a headdress - and simplicity is key. To distinguish the Caesar from the Bloody Mary, we always salt the glass' rim and garnish with celery. We have it on good account that a Caesar should be garnished with a lemon wedge, though most bars, even in Canada, usually garnish it with a lime.

If a guest is attached to particular Caesar conventions, humor these demands just as you would those for a Kentuckian's Mint Julep or a New Yorker's Manhattan. If Canadians show particular disgust at a request, remind them of "54-40 or fight" - sure, they may have only gotten to keep Vancouver, and they certainly had to put up with a lot while the other Americans bickered with the British over Detroit, but they still have all claims to the Caesar.

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