Back in high school, you probably knew Ernest Hemingway as some asshole whose major contribution to society was writing about an old guy and his obsession with a fish. Now that you’ve become a cocktail aficionado, you probably now know Ernest Hemingway as your spirit animal – and the legendary muse behind many delicious cocktails. He spent most of his non-writing time imbibing, and there’s even a book on his drinking habits.
One of the most iconic drinks associated with Hemingway is the Hemingway Daquiri, which is a far cry from your overly indulgent, more-sugar-than-alcohol strawberry daiquiris that you order at a bar because you are a sorority freshman with her newly minted fake ID. The Hemingway Daquiri origins lie in the 1930s and 1940s, when Hemingway lived in Cuba and frequented El Floridita bar – a bar situated near his hotel room.
His favorite order at the El Floridita was a double cocktail with double the rum and no sugar. The cocktail, which became the Hemingway Daiquiri, is powerful and boozy, consisting of: 3 3/4 oz of white rum, the juice of half a grapefruit, and two limes. Hemingway was known to drink five or six in an afternoon, usually over crushed ice. Like I said, spirit animal.
“I drink to make other people more interesting”
— Earnest Hemingway
The Hemingway Daiquiri version here is a bit of a twist from the usual. It uses a great dark rum and cuts the grapefruit and maraschino. What’s left is a dark, delicious twist on Havana Club, which on its own is a great sipping rum. If you can’t get your hands on Havana Club, try Diplomatico.
Original Recipe | If you have a strong tolerance for sour and bitter flavors, you might like the original drink as Hemingway would drink it. It should be served with chipped ice in a cocktail glass.
3.75 oz light rum
Juice of two small limes
Juice of 1/2 grapefruit
Make five or six of these, drink them, and then pen an epic.
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Hi Sylvia--thanks for this engaging and informative article! Just a quick note: using the term "spirit animal" in this context is offensive to First Nation/Indigenous people. We all have work to do in making sure we're not using culturally insensitive terms--it's a continuous process.
Thanks again for the article--I will definitely try the recipe.