Beef broth / Vodka / Lemon juice / Worcester sauce / Tabasco / Salt & Pepper; Shaken so you get a layer of foam on top; Served ice-cold.
In our own (admittedly very specific) idea of hospitality—be it a party, a date, or a relaxed dinner—bullshots are essential ingredients. The beloved concoction of beef broth and vodka floods our parties and receptions—poured from giant, ice-filled silver bowls into tiny glasses, using a soup ladle. Novices are often taken aback when offered the milky, brownish liquid for the first time, and many feel reluctant even to try it. Whether you like it or not, once you take the first sip, it’s likely a sign you’ve been welcomed into the family.
“The bullshots circulate in waves”—Francesca Faccani wrote in the first issue of EVERYTHING, recalling a party at Laguna~B. “Every so often a waiter appears with a tray, and sometimes it’s Marcantonio himself, weaving between the tables, balancing a cluster of small cloudy glasses, stopping to casually ask: “Who wants one?” Someone enquires about what’s in them, makes a face when they hear, and takes one anyway—persuaded by the neighbor who has already had two, or three, or four. Disgust gives way to curiosity, curiosity to repetition. Before long, everyone is holding the same blurred glass.”
Guillaume Pinaut, maitre and manager of Do Farai, had his first bullshot at the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore, where he was staying on a college exchange program in 2010. Invented in the 50s at Detroit’s Caucus Club and popular throughout the following decades among Hollywood celebrities and NYC business executives, the bullshot was already long past its heyday at the time, only surviving among a small circle of aficionados. Guillaume loved its savory taste, which he found refreshing and reinvigorating. “It felt somewhat transgressive having a drink from a bygone era, with broth as its main ingredient.”
The bullshot is definitely not for everyone—especially not for vegetarians—and perhaps precisely for this reason its literary presence is vast and evocative, appearing in James Bond novellas, mystery books, and even poetry. In The Starving Artist’s Cookbook—a 1993 project by performance artist Paul Lamarre and videographer Melissa Wolf—Peter Beard shares his own recipe for the bullshot, with ⅔ “Bouillon fresh made or Campbells” and ⅓ vodka, suggesting it as an ideal drink “for breakfast.” In the text, Beard credits Harry’s Bar—Arrigo Cipriani’s iconic café in Venice—for serving its most delicious version.
It’s here, in fact, that Marcantonio tasted the mix for the first time, meticulously prepared by the venue’s legendary barman, Claudio Ponzio. He was still a teenager, and didn’t like it. “I doubt any kid would. Bullshot is for mature, sophisticated people—which at the time I absolutely was not.” Growing up, he developed a taste—a fixation almost—for bullshots.
Guillaume Pinaut interprets this mutual fondness for the cocktail as a sign that his collaboration with Marcantonio was meant to be. He’s included it in Do Farai’s permanent drink list: the stock is prepared weekly and frozen; with the meat, delicious Polpette di bollito are prepared, served as starters. Seasoned, shaken, and garnished to perfection, Do Farai’s bullshots are a contemporary take on a mid-century classic. They’re served inside Dune tumblers from our 2024 collection Origin, revisiting Laguna~B’s staples in crystal-clear Murano glass.
What else to add if not long live the icon! Ah, and Guillaume says he wants to keep his recipe a secret, but you may always try to ask. Or come and try it yourself: Do Farai is open throughout July.