Recently, my wife and I moved from Toronto to Calgary (and yes, one of these days, I’ll update my location in my SDMB profile). We’re settling onto our new home without too many problems, and exploring the neighbourhood. On one of our explorations, we found a sports bar that I’ve returned to a few times, especially since it was some time before our TV was unpacked and connected, and I’ve wanted to see some TV sports.
Anyway, I’ve noticed that a number of people in the sports bar order a small container of tomato juice to go with their beer. They pour the beer into a glass, then dump the juice into the beer, and drink it. For all the pubs and bars I’ve been to in my life, I’ve never seen this, or indeed, even heard of it. But they seem to quite like it.
So, who has tried this beer-and-tomato-juice concoction? What’s it like? What’s it called? And should I give it a try someday?
We used to drink it like that the morning after the night before. Sort of a poor man’s bloody mary. With a little chili powder and cumin, it went from a “redeye” to an “ojo rojo”.
I only saw this in north and central Ontario, and sometimes in NS and NB. Never in BC or anywhere on the prairies.
I started to like it- it may have prevented some hangovers- but lost the taste once I returned to the Northwest US and began drinking Rogue and McMenamins again.
I’d say this is pretty prevalent across Canada though more common in smaller centres than in larger cities. One effect it has is to extend the beer supply and thus makes it ideal for camping and boating trips.
In the Olympic peninsula, the alchoholic loggers call it a red beer. They usually have it Sunday morning to help temper the effects of a massive hangover.
Grew up drinking beer here in Denver, and we called it red beer, too. I don’t drink so much beer anymore, but I remember really liking it. I’ve seen it used as a hangover drink as well.
I’ve seen this a lot in MN and WI. As far as I can tell, it’s not just for hangovers anymore. I agree that this is for your watery, American beers in which it actually improves the taste, what little there is to start with. My take is that if you have to add something to improve the taste of the beer you might want to just try a better beer. I tend to skip the beer and go for a nice Gin and Tonic… in a hot tub.
A friend who just did a stint bartending in Las Vegas reports a popular Canadian drink is the Ceasar, which is vodka and Clamato. (Perhaps they just really dig tomato juice up there?) The worst thing I think I’ve ever seen in my life was a billboard in a latino section of town advertising “Clamato y tequila!” ::shudder:: I almost had to pull over and rest my head on the steering wheel.
True enough, voguevixen, the Caesar is popular here. Almost too popular, in fact, since there are many servers who think that when you order a Bloody Mary, you really meant a Bloody Caesar.
They mean well, I suppose, but as one whose system just cannot handle clam juice, I wish they wouldn’t assume I meant something other than what I asked for. There have been so many errors made this way that I’ve stopped ordering Marys up here now; I’ll make one myself at home if I really have a hankering for one.
Oh well. Back to the beer and tomato juice. I had no idea that it was so popular and in so many places and with so many variations. Thanks for the advice, all; it looks as if I’ll have to try this someday. Perhaps at home first, so I know I’m getting tomato juice, and not Clamato by well-intentioned mistake.
My sweetie likes it. He calls it tomato beer, and uses V8 juice. I tried it once. Thanks, but no, although all in all, I’d rather drink it than lick a cat’s butt.