Episode 109 Hemingway Daiquiri

Jun 19

Ep. 109: Hemmingway Daiquiri - The life, the legend, and libations of Ernest Hemmingway

Welcome to Season 7 episode 109 of The Art of Drinking with Join Jules and Your Favorite Uncle

Think daiquiris are too sweet? Ernest Hemingway felt the same way. The legendary writer transformed this classic cocktail into something stronger, sharper, and infinitely more sophisticated. Today we dive into the Hemingway Daiquiri—a drink as bold and uncompromising as the man who inspired it. We'll explore how Papa's particular tastes created a cocktail that's equal parts refreshing and punishing, and discover why this literary legend's drinking habits became as famous as his prose.

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📚 Brief History: The Hemingway Daiquiri

The Hemingway Daiquiri, also known as the Papa Doble, was born in 1930s Havana at the legendary El Floridita bar, where Ernest Hemingway was a frequent (and famously thirsty) visitor.

Originally, he sampled the house daiquiri—rum, lime, sugar—but found it too sweet for his taste. Hemingway asked the bartender, Constantino Ribalaigua Vert, to make it with no sugar, more rum, and eventually added grapefruit juice and a splash of maraschino liqueur. The result was a tart, bracing drink as intense and dry as the man himself.

✨ Fun Facts

🍸 Papa Doble = Double Pour: Hemingway reportedly drank doubles—hence the name “Papa Doble”—sometimes consuming 6 to 12 in a single sitting.
🇨🇺 Created in Cuba: The cocktail is a product of Golden Age Havana, during Prohibition, when Americans flocked to Cuba to drink freely.
📚 Writer & Drink: Hemingway’s love of booze was well documented—not just in bars but in his letters and books, with cocktails often woven into his stories.
🍒 Maraschino Matters: Though the drink has no added sugar, the maraschino liqueur adds a subtle cherry-almond sweetness to balance the grapefruit and lime.
🧊 Frozen Version: The original at El Floridita was famously served blended with ice—a rare choice for classics of that era.
✍️ Quote Vibe: "My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridita" – a quote allegedly written by Hemingway, now painted on bar walls across Havana.