✍️ Hemingway Daiquiri

White rum, maraschino, lime, and grapefruit — no sugar. The Papa Doble from El Floridita, Havana.

4 min
Serves 1
Shaken
Coupe
  • 2 oz White rum (Bacardi, Havana Club 3)
  • ½ oz Maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)
  • ¾ oz Fresh lime juice
  • ½ oz Fresh grapefruit juice

  1. 1
    Chill your glassPlace a coupe in the freezer.
  2. 2
    Combine in shakerAdd rum, maraschino, lime juice, and grapefruit juice to a shaker. Note: no simple syrup — the drink is intentionally drier than a classic Daiquiri.
  3. 3
    Add ice and shake hardFill with ice and shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds.
  4. 4
    Double strainStrain through a fine-mesh strainer into the chilled coupe.
  5. 5
    ServeNo garnish is traditional. Drink it cold.

Ernest Hemingway and El Floridita

Ernest Hemingway spent 22 years in Cuba and became a fixture at El Floridita bar in Havana, where he drank so many Daiquiris that bartender Constantino Ribalaigua Vert created a special version for him. Hemingway was diabetic and avoided sugar, so the bartender replaced the syrup with maraschino and grapefruit juice.

The 'Papa Doble' (Papa's Double) referred to Hemingway's habit of drinking two at a time. The standard recipe uses double the rum of a classic Daiquiri. The grapefruit and maraschino together replace the sweetness of simple syrup while adding complexity — the drink is drier, more sophisticated, and harder to stop drinking than its three-ingredient cousin.

🍊 With Simple Syrup

Add ¼ oz simple syrup if the drink is too dry. The result is closer to a classic Daiquiri with added complexity.

🍋 Grapefruit Dominant

Increase grapefruit to ¾ oz and reduce lime to ½ oz. More citrusy and pink, with the maraschino receding to background sweetness.

🌴 Coconut Hemingway

Add ½ oz coconut water and reduce grapefruit to ¼ oz. A tropical nod that Hemingway's Cuba days might have approved.