There’s not much info out there on the Bullfighter cocktail. Actually, scratch that—there’s practically none. Trying to trace its history leaves you with just one source, and even that’s pretty light on details. But hey, we’ve got the recipe, and that’s something, right? Even though one of the ingredients is impossible to find these days, which only adds to the mystery of the Bullfighter.
Bullfighter Cocktail: The Story
What’s known for sure is that the Bullfighter first appeared in the Café Royal Cocktail Book (1937). The book was written by British mixology heavyweight William J. Tarling, who would later go on to become president of the IBA (International Bartenders Association).
What makes the Bullfighter noteworthy is that it falls into a special category: tequila-based cocktails. At the time, tequila wasn’t a common ingredient in cocktails, but thanks to Tarling’s work, it started to get some attention. In total, there are about a dozen tequila cocktails in the book, including the Picador, Matador, and Toreador. And the theme running through them? Bullfighting.
Bullfighter and Bullfighting
Tarling doesn’t explain why it’s called the Bullfighter, who created it, or where it came from. But the connection to bullfighting is definitely interesting. In case you didn’t know, “Bullfighter” is the English translation of “torero.”
It refers to the six people who step into the ring to face a bull: the matador (the one who kills the bull), two picadores (fighters on horseback), and three on foot, known as peones or banderilleros.
The Missing Ingredient
If you’re trying to make a Bullfighter today, you’ll hit a pretty big snag. One of the three original ingredients, Hercules, no longer exists. For years, cocktail historians were stumped—nobody had a clue what it was. All they could do was speculate.
Eventually, someone unearthed old ads from newspapers in the late ’30s, revealing that Hercules was an aperitif made with red wine and yerba mate, possibly with other herbs thrown in. It had an ABV of around 25%. Most likely, it tasted similar to vermouth but with a touch of green tea and a bit more spice.
Bullfighter Cocktail, The Recipe
The million-dollar question: what do we substitute for Hercules? That’s the tricky part—nobody really remembers what it tasted like. Most people don’t even try to recreate it; they just go for something acidic like lime juice. Some bartenders add a bit of tepache (a Mexican fermented pineapple drink) and balance out the sweetness by swapping tequila for mezcal. Either way, here’s the recipe as it appeared in the Café Royal Cocktail Book (1937).
Ingredients
25 ml Hercules (which you can sub with lime juice or tepache today)
50 ml tequila
25 ml apricot liqueur
Method
Grab a shaker, toss in all the ingredients, and give it a good shake until everything is mixed and chilled. Strain it into a glass—Tarling didn’t specify which one, but a coupe works just fine.
Garnish
None.
Image credits of Julie Couder and Coqtail, location Nik’s & Co, all rights reserved.
