Cape Codder and Seafood Margarita
I’m heading off to Boston in a couple days, so I think that you all should join me - at least virtually! This week’s Happy Hour at Home consists of a mixed drink with a name that takes you to the Eastern shore, The Cape Cod or Cape Codder - it seems to be called different things by different people but I believe the correct name is “Codder”; and an appetizer that sounds like another cocktail but isn’t, Ray’s Café Seafood Margarita. 
Okay, I admit, Ray’s is a Seattle establishment and so you’ll need to substitute the type of crab in the recipe to make it more East coast-y, but it’s such a seashore taste who really cares what coast it’s from?
The Cape Codder is a perfect drink for sipping while looking at, sitting on or thinking about the beach - although it must be an ocean beach - no lakes or rivers beaches allowed!
Cape Codder
- Ice cubes
- 2 fluid ounces vodka
- 4 fluid ounces cranberry juice
- Half a lime, plus a wedge for garnish
Fill a high ball glass with ice. Pour the vodka and cranberry juice over the ice. Squeeze the juice from the lime half into the drink. Stir gently. Garnish the edge of the glass with the lime wedge. Serve.
A simple variation on the Cape Codder is the Sea Breeze. Made with fresh grapefruit juice, this is perfection in a glass!
Sea Breeze
- Ice cubes
- 2 fluid ounces vodka
- 2 fluid ounces cranberry juice
- 2 fluid ounces grapefruit juice, preferably freshly squeezed
- Lime wedge
Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour the vodka, cranberry, and grapefruit juice over the ice. Stir gently. Squeeze the lime into the drink, then drop it into the glass. Serve.
Ray’s Café Seafood Margarita
- 4 jumbo prawns, cooked and peeled (8-12 per pound)
- 4 oz. bay shrimp, cooked
- 2 ounces cooked Dungeness crabmeat
- 6 segments of lime
- 6 segments of orange
- ˝ cup cubed mango
- 2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
- 2 tsp. fresh lime juice
- Kosher salt
Garnish
- 2 radicchio leaves
- 2 curly endive leaves
- Crispy corn chips
- Cilantro sprigs
Dice 2 of the jumbo prawns. Butterfly the remaining 2 prawns by cutting lengthwise down the backs. In a medium bowl, mix diced prawns, butterflied prawns, shrimp, crabmeat, lime segments, orange segments, mango, cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt to taste and marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Line 2 chilled margarita glasses with radicchio and endive. Spoon mixture into glasses and garnish with corn chips and cilantro sprigs. Serve immediately.
Serves 2.
From Ray’s Boathouse: Seafood Secrets of the Pacific Northwest
Those are two always reliable drinks. I’ve often heard people refer to Cape Codders simply as vodka and cranberry, vodka cran, etc. An astute bartender should know to add the lime wedge.
I’m surprised that you didn’t add the bay breeze and Madras to the list, as they’re really all simple variations on the Cape Codder. What really works well for many people is the Malibu bay breeze, substituting Malibu (or your favorite coconut rum) for vodka.