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Hemingway Daiquiri

Also known as a Papa Doble, the Hemingway Daiquiri takes the classic Daiquiri to a new level with two simple additions. Discover how Ernest Hemingway got his name on the drink and learn how to make a Papa Doble at home.

Hemingway Daiquiri Next to Pink Flowers
Image: ©2foodtrippers

The Hemingway Daiquiri is an anomaly.

With its pink hue and fruity flavor, this shaken sour cocktail looks and tastes like a liquor lightweight. Some might even call it a girly drink. But make no mistake – the Hemingway Daiquiri is a serious cocktail with an ample amount of alcohol that can sneak up on any drinker who’s not careful.

As it turns out, the Hemingway Daiquiri has an interesting history that involves one of the least girly authors to ever travel to the cocktail’s home country of Cuba. It’s also a cocktail that tastes so great that you’ll want to drink two, maybe three, once you give it a try.

What Is The Hemingway Daiquiri?

Hemingway Daiquiri in Front of Tiles
The Hemingway Daiquiri takes the classic Daiquiri to the next level. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Named after Ernest Hemingway and nicknamed both Papa Doble and Hemingway Special, this classic cocktail is a Daiquiri variation that adds ruby red grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur to the classic cocktail’s recipe. More than just window dressing, these two extra ingredients simultaneously add a subtle sweetness and bright, tart flavor to the simple sipper.

Legend has it that Hemingway inspired his namesake cocktail when he ordered a Daiquiri without sugar and double the rum. Though the recipe has evolved over the years, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to forget the story where it all began.

History Of The Hemingway Daiquiri

Hemingway Daiquiri in Lisbon
The Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail’s history started in Havana. However, we crafted and drank this Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail in Lisbon. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The history of the Hemingway Daiquiri is a doozy thanks to the two key characters involved in the classic cocktail’s origin story. One was bigger-than-life author Ernest Hemingway and the other was master mixologist Constantino Ribailagua.

As famous for his voracious appetite as for his prolific writing, Hemingway lived at Havana’s Hotel Ambos Mundos during the 1930s. At that same time, Ribailagua was an equally prolific bartender at Havana’s El Floridita bar. Considering the mere 750 meter distance between the Hotel Ambos Mundos and El Floridita, it was only a matter of time before the two would meet.

As described in this NPR article, the Hemingway Daiquiri owes its creation to a productive pit stop at El Floridita. Not only did Hemingway find a restroom during his sojourn, but he also made cocktail history by custom ordering a Daiquiri with less sugar and more rum.

Daryl Takes a Hemingway Daiquiri Selfie
Daryl channeled his inner Hemingway when he drank this Hemingway Daiquiri. But first he took a selfie. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Ribailagua crafted the original Hemingway Daiquiri which eventually adopted the Papa Doble moniker. He later fine-tuned the recipe by adding maraschino liqueur and grapefruit juice.

As for Hemingway, he proceeded to drink many more Cuban cocktails at El Floridita over the years, typically ordering double drinks with four ounces of rum in each glass. Papa clearly liked his doubles. Or, we should say, his Papa Dobles.

Buy To Have and Have Another – A Hemingway Cocktail Companion from Amazon and read the story about the time that Hemingway drank 17 cocktails at one sitting as well as other drinking adventures.

Ingredients

Hemingway Daiquiri Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to craft a Hemingway Daiquiri at home. Pictured here are white rum, maraschino liqueur, a lime, grapefruit juice and simple syrup. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

These are the ingredients required to craft a Hemingway Daiquiri at home:

  • White Rum
  • Maraschino Liqueur
  • Lime Juice
  • Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
  • Simple Syrup (Optional)
  • Lime Wheel (garnish)
  • Ice Cubes (for shaking)

You’ll notice that the Hemingway Daiquiri ingredients aren’t that different from the ingredients in a classic Daiquiri. Both cocktails start with white rum and lime juice but the Hemingway Daiquiri adds maraschino liqueur and grapefruit juice to the mix.

Discover our favorite maraschino liqueur cocktails.

We go one step further by adding simple syrup to our Hemingway Daiquiri recipe. We find that this addition cuts the cocktail’s tartness and balances its competing flavors.

Hemingway Daiquiri Liquor Bottles
Despite the Hemingway Daiquiri’s complex flavor profile, the cocktail’s only two liquors are maraschino liqueur and white rum. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Luxardo produces our preferred maraschino liqueur which is not surprising since we’re obsessed with the Italian company’s maraschino cherries. We had to special-order this liqueur and it was totally worth it. Not only can we use it to craft Hemingway Daiquiris, but Luxardo maraschino liqueur is a key ingredient in Aviation and Martinez cocktails too.

We use Bacardi White Rum to craft this and other rum-based cocktails. Any decent white rum will work in this recipe.

Discover our favorite rum cocktails.

How To Craft A Hemingway Daiquiri

Hemingway Daiquiri Ingredients and Tools
Crafting a Hemingway Daiquiri is easy to do if you have the right tools and ingredients. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The first step in this recipe is to squeeze the juice if you have access to fresh fruit. This is a great time to cut a lime wheel while the lime is still intact.

Measuring Grapefruit Juice
We measured each ingredient with a Japanese-style jigger. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The next step is to measure the white rum, maraschino liqueur and simple syrup. Although the simple syrup is optional, we include the natural sweetener whenever we craft Hemingway Daiquiri cocktails at home. We use a Japanese jigger to easily achieve accurate measurements.

Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you need a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade.

Measuring Luxardo Liqueur
Maraschino liqueur adds a subtle sweetness to the Hemingway Daiquiri. Our recipe only requires a half ounce of this ingredient. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Immediately pour each liquid into a shaker. We like to use a Boston Shaker for this step.

Pouring Rum into Shaker
Pouring without spilling is the most challenging aspect of this recipe. If we can do it, you can do it too. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Once all the ingredients are in the shaker, add ice and shake until all the ingredients are chilled and mixed. This should take about 30 seconds.

Hemingway Daiquiri Ingredients including Ice
Shaking is the most fun aspect of the recipe. This is where the ingredients combine to form a sophisticated sipper. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Strain the cocktail into a coupe glass.

Straining Hemingway Daiquiri into Coupe Glass
Crafting a Hemingway Daiquiri only takes five minutes. Straining it into the glass is one of the final steps. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Once you strain the Hemingway Daiquiri into a coupe glass, all that’s left to do is garnish the cocktail with a lime wheel. Although you could gently drop the lime wheel directly into the drink, we prefer to place ours on the glass rim instead.

Variations

Hemingway Daiquiri Next to Ingredients
We love crafting and drinking classic Hemingway Daiquiris at home. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

We suspect that you’ll love this recipe so much that you wont need any alternatives. However, here are some ideas if you want to experiment:

  • Omit the maraschino liqueur and grapefruit juice to craft a classic Daiquiri.
  • Replace the lime wedge with one or two maraschino cherries.
  • Replace the maraschino liqueur with Campari and the rum with tequila to craft a Siesta cocktail.
  • Strain the cocktail over crushed ice to craft an icy Hemingway Daiquiri.
  • Use a blender to craft a frozen Hemingway Daiquiri.
Hemingway Daiquiri Selfi
Smile! It’s Hemingway Daiquiri time. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Discover 10 essential bar tools for the home mixologist.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Hemingway Daiquiri?

The Hemingway Daiquiri is a sophisticated twist on the classic Daiquiri crafted with ruby red grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur.

Where was the Hemingway Daiquiri invented?

The Hemingway Daiquiri was invented at the El Floridita bar in Havana, Cuba.

Why is it called a Hemingway Daiquiri?

The Hemingway Daiquiri was named after Ernest Hemingway. The prolific writer inspired the cocktail’s creation since he was also a prolific drinker.

What does a Hemingway Daiquiri taste like?

The Hemingway Daiquiri tastes sweeter and tarter compare to a classic Daiquiri.

What are the ingredients in a Hemingway Daiquiri?

White Rum, Maraschino Liqueur, Lime Juice, Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice, Simple Syrup (Optional), Lime Wheel and Ice

What’s the difference between a classic Daiquiri and a Hemingway Daiquiri?

The Hemingway Daiquiri takes the classic Daiquiri to the next level with the addition of ruby red grapefruit juice and maraschino cherry liqueur.

Is the Hemingway Daiquiri shaken or stirred?

The Hemingway Daiquiri is shaken, not stirred.

What type of glass is best for the Hemingway Daiquiri?

We like to serve this cocktail in a coupe glass but you could use a small martini glass instead.

Did you craft this cocktail? If so, please rate the recipe below.

Hemingway Daiquiri Next to Blue Tiles
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4.34 from 3 votes

Hemingway Daiquiri Recipe

Once you craft a Hemingway Daiquiri at home, you'll understand why it was one of Ernest Hemingway's favorite cocktails.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drink
Cuisine: Cocktail
Servings: 1
Calories: 220kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces white rum
  • ¾ ounce lime juice (freshly squeezed)
  • ½ ounce grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)
  • ½ ounce maraschino liqueur
  • ½ ounce simple syrup
  • 1 lime wheel (garnish)
  • ice cubes (for shaking)

Instructions

  • Pour white rum, maraschino liqueur, lime juice, simple syrup and grapefruit juice into a shaker.
  • Add ice and shake vigorously until ingredients are mixed and chilled.
  • Strain into a coupe glass.
  • Garnish with lime wheel.

Pro Tips

  • We recommend slicing the lime wheel before you squeeze the lime.
  • You can use a martini glass if you don’t have a coupe glass.

Estimated Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
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About The Authors

About The Authors

Daryl & Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers their unique taste of the world.

Disclosures

Article Updates
We update our articles regularly. Some updates are major while others are minor link changes and spelling corrections. Let us know if you see anything that needs to be updated in this article.

Funding
We purchased the ingredients and tools used to craft this cocktail.

Original Publication Date: April 13, 2021

Recipe Rating




Philip Greene

Thursday 7th of July 2022

I also created a grapefruit-free version of the Hemingway Daiquiri for those on cholesterol (statin) drugs, I call it the Statin Islander, here's how:

2 oz white rum 3/4 oz fresh lime juice 1/4 oz Campari 1/4 oz Cointreau 1 teaspoon maraschino liqueur

Shake well with ice, strain into a chilled coupe. Miraculously, the Campari and Cointreau create the flavor of grapefruit, which people taking cholesterol meds should avoid

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Thursday 7th of July 2022

Thanks for sharing!

Philip Greene

Thursday 7th of July 2022

Thanks for mentioning my book, To Have and Have Another! We love Lisbon, by the way, and will have to look you up next time we visit. Philip Greene

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Thursday 7th of July 2022

It was our pleasure! Please look us up - we can drink Hemingway Daiquiris when you're in town. Will be fun.

Charles

Monday 2nd of May 2022

You omitted the simple syrup in the mixing instructions.

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Monday 2nd of May 2022

Thanks for bringing the omission to our attention. Cheers!

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