Welcome to a new series on Have Dog, Will Drive! Honestly, this is pretty random and I have no idea whether people will be interested in reading this, but I've decided to do a series on savory cocktails (that I'm inventing and/or adapting). A Bloody Mary is my favorite drink--I used to drink Bloody Mary mix out of a can (without vodka!) during class in law school. Something about a savory, umami drink is just so much more appealing to me than a sugary sweet cocktail. A snack in your drink, a drink in your snack. YUM.
But, there are a zillion sweet cocktail recipes out there, while savory ones are SO rare. There's the Bloody Mary (and many variations thereof), a dirty martini, and . . . that's about it. Recently I was musing about this and decided to make up some of my own! I think the Bloody Mary will always be queen above all others, but I'm pretty excited about some of the ideas I have for different savory/salty cocktails.
Today's drink is heavily inspired by what used to be a very common cocktail in the 1950s and 1960s. The original was known as a Bullshot, and although I've never seen it on a cocktail menu in my life, it was apparently very popular for a time. There are some interesting articles about it here and here. The Bullshot gets its name because it's traditionally made with beef broth. The basic recipe is just beef broth, vodka, and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.
For my first attempt at bringing to life a savory cocktail, I decided to try to make a vegetarian twist on the Bullshot, which I’m calling the Bullshy as a play on the original (actually, Grace came up with the name). It’s extremely simple to make.
I put three parts organic vegetable broth and one part vodka in a cocktail shaker, along with a few dashes of worcestershire sauce, a splash of shoyu sauce, and a squeeze of lime.
Next, just shake, pour into a rocks glass over cubed ice, and garnish with a green onion. I cracked some fresh ground pepper on top and am happy to say it was delish!
I think what I love about this drink are its endless possibilities. Some variations you could try:
Use homemade broth-I’m sure it would be 100x yummier
Use different garnishes (a leek? a carrot? a shishito pepper? a skewer of all of the above?!)
Add hot sauce for a spicy soup
Make a green onion or pepper-infused vodka for the base
Try a salted rim with some flaky Maldon salt
As we’re moving into fall, I’m excited to make this drink again around Thanksgiving for a tasty, savory accompaniment to mashed potatoes and green bean casserole (two of my favs).
Let me know if you are a savory drink lover! I’m excited to come up with new recipes in the coming weeks and share them here :)