Hemingway's Very Own Daiquiri Is Something Special (2024)

The Hemingway daiquiri is also known as the Papa Doble or Hemingway special. The popular classic co*cktail is named after the writer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), whose novels propelled him to worldwide fame.

It is widely known and documented that Hemingway enjoyed a good drink. As he traveled, much of his free time was spent in bars, where he said one could experience the true culture of a place. After spending some time in Cuba, Hemingway quickly became enamored with the daiquiri. In 1921, Constantino Ribalaigua of El Floridita in Havana created this variation of the rum sour and named it after his daiquiri-loving regular.

The Hemingway daiquiri brings the subtly sweet, dry cherry taste of maraschino liqueur and tart grapefruit into the classic daiquiri mix of rum and lime. Hemingway took this daiquiri without sugar, but most people prefer the added sweetness. Feel free to make a Hemingway with or without the optional simple syrup.

Hemingway's Very Own Daiquiri Is Something Special (1)

"Balanced and tasty, the grapefruit and lime juices play beautifully with rum whilst being brightened by the maraschino liqueur. The recipe is spot-on with a tad more sweetness which provides a silkier mouthfeel. This co*cktail will transport you to a steamy Cuban bar filled with laughter, dancing, and a wash of rum." —Sean Johnson

Hemingway's Very Own Daiquiri Is Something Special (2)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

2 ounces light rum
1/2 ouncemaraschino liqueur
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 ounce simple syrup
Lime wheel, for garnish

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
In a co*cktail shaker filled with ice, pour the rum, maraschino liqueur, and grapefruit and lime juices. Add the simple syrup if desired.
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Shake well.
Strain into a chilled co*cktail glass.
Garnish with a lime wheel. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

To create a better-tasting daiquiri, be sure to choose a top-shelf rum. If you'd like to keep the taste authentic, Cuban rums are natural choices. Any Caribbean rum would be a good option, though. Just like tequila, in Spanish-speaking countries, white rum might be labeled "blanco."
As with any daiquiri, the Hemingway is best with fresh-squeezed juice. You can typically get 1/2 to 1 ounce of juice out of the average lime, which is enough for one or two drinks. A grapefruit often yields 5 ounces of juice or more, so a single fruit should be plenty for a few rounds.

Recipe Variation

Maraschino is a cherry liqueur with a bitter-dry taste. If you need a substitute, Cherry Heering is your best bet. Stay away from supersweet cherry liqueurs as they will throw off the daiquiri's balance of flavors.
For more of an authentic Havana feel, strain the daiquiri over crushed ice.
If you'd like to serve this co*cktail frozen, just add 3/4 to 1 cup of ice to a blender with the other ingredients.

How to Drink Like Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway's drinking habits are almost as fascinating and famous as his writing. There are many stories about how often he drank and his favorite co*cktails—the book "To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway co*cktail Companion" by Philip Greene is dedicated to the subject. He was quite selective about what he imbibed and often wrote about drinking in stories, journals, and letters. For instance, Hemingway's memoir, "A Moveable Feast" (posthumously published in 1964), includes countless tales of sharing drinks with literary friends while in Paris.

Included in the many co*cktails that Hemingway enjoyed are the daiquiri, whiskey and soda, martini, gin and tonic, and Campari drinks like the Negroni and Americano. He was fond of absinthe and is credited with creating the death in the afternoon—a simple mix of absinthe and Champagne. He preferred all of his drinks ice cold and not sweet—not just as a matter of taste but apparently also because of inherited diabetes concerns.

Though he never drank while writing (and claimed to recognize when William Faulkner started drinking in that writer's work), his drinks were strong, and he often binged. It's said that his own version of the Papa Doble was a double shot of rum, the juice of two limes and one grapefruit, and six drops of maraschino; apparently, he once drank 17 of these in one day. While you might explore the drinks Hemingway preferred, it's not recommended to drink like him in terms of volume.

How Strong Is a Hemingway Daiquiri?

Fresh-made, shaken daiquiris are not light co*cktails, and the Hemingway is no different. When made with 80-proof rum, it shakes up to an alcohol content around 24 percent ABV (48 proof), or about half of the rum's strength. To put it into perspective, a rum and co*ke is just 12 percent ABV (24 proof).

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Recipe Tags:

Rum
caribbean
cookout
beverage