The Story
In 1969, Walter Chell was tasked to create a signature cocktail for a new Italian restaurant in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally from Italy, Chell created The Bloody Caesar cocktail inspired from the Italian dish spaghetti vongole (tomatoes and clams). Across Calgary and the country, people soon began asking restaurants and lounges to learn how to make a Bloody Caesar, shortened later by devote fans to The Caesar.
Fifty years later Rachel Drinkle, owner of Not JUST a Caesar Shop, recognized the cultural significance of the cocktail, its contribution to a Canadian National identity, and how it was a piece of Calgary history that needed to be recognized.
In 2019, Rachel, together with a committee of Caesar lovers, birthed YYCaesarfest. Caesar lovers obviously were waiting for a place to celebrate this historic drink as the festival sold 3,000 tickets over the first weekend. Then COVID hit. This did not deter Rachel as she kept the spirit alive and brought YYCaesarfest back in 2022. It continues annually every May long weekend in Alberta.
In her creation of YYCaesarfest, Rachel came to realize there was a need for three things:
a permanent place in Calgary to tell the story of The Caesar and its history;
a place to support all Canadian craft beverage makers and small businesses inspired to create products for The Caesar;
but most importantly, a venue to host events that inspire others to get creative and play with flavour combinations.
Play? Fun? Rachel’s strong belief in the importance of play and fun are the key drivers in everything she does. It just made sense to incorporate those into her business. Whether that is making traditional Caesars to the, off the wall ones like Coffee, Black Garlic, or the Orange Caesar ,whatever you can imagine. The Not JUST a Caesar Shop offers all kinds of fun opportunities to test your experiments so you are always leaving with a product you will enjoy.
Not JUST a Caesar Shop, a place for tourists and locals to EXPERIENCE and take home a unique piece of Canada.