Everything You Need to Know About the Hemingway Daiquiri

It’s no secret that famed author Ernest Hemingway loved to drink. He was known to throw back whiskey and soda regularly and likely is the inventor of Death in the Afternoon, a mix of absinthe and Champagne. He liked his drinks ice-cold, strong, and not at all sweet. 

Because he was such a prolific drinker and bar patron, there were many drinks named for Hemingway in his time. However, there’s one cocktail that still bears his name and remains a staple in every bartender’s arsenal. Keep reading for the history and recipe of the Hemingway Daiquiri.

History Behind the Hemingway Daiquiri

Living in Havana in the 1930’s, Hemingway divided his time between writing in his rented room and visiting local bars. According to legend, Hemingway was searching for a bathroom while out one day. He ducked into El Floridita, a historic bar in Old Havana. As luck would have it, bartender Constantino Ribalaigua Vert was setting up frozen daiquiris. Hemingway asked to try one and remarked, “That’s good, but I prefer it without the sugar and double the rum.”

Ribalaigua obliged and created the Papa Doble. It was a cocktail with a surprising three ounces of rum, fresh lime and grapefruit juice, a bar spoon of maraschino liqueur, and, as requested, no sugar. The name of the drink refers to Hemingway’s nickname around Havana (“Papa” for his graying hair and beard) and the strength of the cocktail, a double.

In the Cuban heat, it’s easy to see why a frozen drink like the Papa Doble would appeal to Hemingway. He once boasted of downing 17 Papa Dobles in one afternoon. Phillip Greene, the author of the book To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion, sums it up best: “That’s a hell of a lot of daiquiris.”

Hemingway even wrote about his love of the daiquiri in Islands in the Stream, saying, “This frozen daiquiri, so well beaten as it is, looks like the sea where the wave falls away from the bow of the ship when she is doing thirty knots…[with] no taste of alcohol and felt, as you drank them, the way downhill glacier skiing feels running through powder snow and, after the sixth and eighth, felt like downhill glacier skiing feels when you are running unroped.”

Celebrating its 200-year anniversary in 2017, El Floridita upholds Ribalaigua’s daiquiri legacy to this day. A life-sized bronze statue of Hemingway was installed in the author’s usual spot following his death, and every day a daiquiri is placed in front of it.

Hemingway Daiquiri Recipe

While Hemingway preferred a stiff, dry drink, most other bar patrons need a little more balance to their cocktails. Ribalaigua saw the opportunity to capitalize on the frequent appearances of the popular author. So he tweaked the Papa Doble recipe to appeal to a wider audience. He named this one the Hemingway Daiquiri. We don’t know if Hemingway himself ever tried this version, but it’s likely it wouldn’t have been strong enough for his liking (not to mention too sweet!).

Tart and strong with a subtle sweetness, the Hemingway Daiquiri is a classic warm-weather drink. If you’d like to make your own Hemingway Daiquiri at home, check out this easy recipe:

Hemingway Daiquiri

2 oz. light rum

.75 oz. fresh lime juice

.5 oz. fresh grapefruit juice

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. maraschino liqueur (such as Luxardo)

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Alternatively, you can pour the drink over crushed or chipped ice to achieve that “frozen” effect.

Variations on the Hemingway Daiquiri

Regal Shake  - The “regal” technique can work both in shaken drinks, like the Daiquiri, and in stirred drinks, like the Negroni.

There are a few fun ways to change up the Hemingway Daiquiri:

●     Throw a grapefruit peel in the shaker. Incorporating citrus peels makes it a “regal shake.” This adds complexity, changes the texture, and provides brightness to the drink.

●     Serve it frozen. Throw all the ingredients into a blender with about a cup of ice.

●     No Luxardo? Use cherry Heering instead. Avoid super-sweet cherry liqueurs or juices.

●     Use an aged rum. There was a recent competition to determine the best Hemingway Daiquiri recipe. Each of the top three contenders added vanilla notes to their variations by using aged white rums.

Have you tried the Hemingway Daiquiri before? Would you drink it as dry and strong as the man himself, or do you prefer the more balanced update? Whichever you like best, we don’t recommend drinking 17 of them in one afternoon – but one or two can’t hurt!