Against the war in Ukraine, Russian vodka disappears in a restaurant and stroganoff becomes mincemeat in SP

In recent days, chefs and owners of bars and restaurants in São Paulo have started to ride the global wave of cancellations and promote changes to the menus of their homes as a form of protest – albeit symbolic – against the war in Ukraine.

The targets here are stroganoff, a recipe of Russian origin that was adopted and widely adapted by Brazilians, in addition to vodka, considered the country’s national drink. There was even left over for the moscow mule drink, which despite bearing the name of the Russian capital, was created in the United States, where it became fashionable in the 1950s and 60s and even had the filmmaker Woody Allen as a poster boy.

This Tuesday (8), chef Janaína Rueda removed stroganoff from the menu, a best-selling dish at her Bar da Dona Onça, located at the foot of Copan, in downtown São Paulo. “Only come back when the war is over.”

Other houses took similar actions. This is the case of Empório Manuel, in Itaim Bibi, which changed the name of stroganoff to Picadinho Manuel. The meal costs R$ 69 and has filet mignon in strips flamed in cognac, champinhom, rice and potato straw. The moscow mule was also renamed — now, anyone who wants to taste the drink will need to order a Manuel Mule, which costs R$37 and includes vodka, allspice syrup and Sicilian lemon foam. The site says the name change is final.

In the Jardins region, Italian Piselli followed the example of American bars and named the cocktail after the Ukrainian capital. The now called Kiev Mule is made with vodka, lemon juice and ginger foam and costs between R$39 and R$63 – the price depends on the brand of the drink. There is no forecast for the return of the old name.

The Japanese restaurant Tadashii, in Morumbi, went further. The house chose to change the Russian vodka used in drinks for Absolut, which is Swedish. Furthermore, it also renamed the moscow mule which is now called the Ukrainian Mule. The house says it returns the old menu when the war is over.

Emporium Manuel
R. Manoel Guedes, 426, Itaim Bibi, West Region, Instagram @emporio.manuel

Piselli
R. Padre João Manuel, 1253, Cerqueira César, west region, Instagram @restaurantepiselli

Tadashii
R. Jamanari, 40, Morumbi, south region, Instagram @tadashii_japanese_restaurant