🥃 Hemingway Special
A Cuban daiquiri-style rum cocktail with grapefruit juice, maraschino liqueur and lime juice, without added sugar; also known as Papa Doble and linked to Ernest Hemingway and the El Floridita bar in Havana.
Hemingway Special, also known as Papa Doble, is a Cuban daiquiri-style cocktail: rum, grapefruit juice, maraschino liqueur and fresh lime juice, shaken with ice. It is associated with the writer Ernest Hemingway and the Havana bar El Floridita. The International Bartenders Association (IBA) counts the drink among modern classics.
IBA recipe. 60 ml rum, 40 ml grapefruit juice, 15 ml Maraschino Luxardo and 15 ml fresh lime juice. Everything is shaken vigorously with ice and strained into a large cocktail glass. The recipe has no separate sugar: the sweetness comes from the maraschino.
History. According to Difford's Guide, the drink was created by Constantino Ribalaigua Vert, head bartender of El Floridita. Hemingway asked for a daiquiri without sugar and with a double portion of rum. At first the cocktail was called Daiquiri Like Papa, then Papa Doble, since Hemingway was known in Cuba as 'Papa'. According to this version, the grapefruit and maraschino were added later by the bartender Antonio Meilan.
Variations. At El Floridita itself the drink was made frozen, blended with crushed ice. PBS gives a recipe from a cookbook about Hemingway: rum, the juice of two limes and half a grapefruit, and a few drops of maraschino. Modern bartenders often add a little sugar syrup to soften the acidity.
Why this matters to you. The fresh sour taste hides the strength: the IBA portion contains 60 ml of rum, and Difford's Guide's version with more rum contains about 37 g of pure alcohol. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Raw material | rum, grapefruit juice, maraschino liqueur, fresh lime juice (IBA recipe) |
|---|
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Hemingway Special → kind of → 🌴 Rum and sugarcane spirits → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Made from
- 🥃 Rum, 🥃 Maraschino, 🥃 Luxardo Maraschino Originale, 🥃 Havana Club Añejo 3 Años
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🌴 Rum and sugarcane spirits
- Related to
- 🌍 Latin America
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Daiquiri, 🥃 Cuba Libre
Frequently asked questions
Did Hemingway invent the Hemingway Special himself?
No. According to Difford's Guide, it was made for the writer by the El Floridita bartender Constantino Ribalaigua Vert; the grapefruit and maraschino were added later by Antonio Meilan.
What is in a Hemingway Special according to the IBA?
60 ml rum, 40 ml grapefruit juice, 15 ml Maraschino Luxardo and 15 ml fresh lime juice.
What is the difference between a Hemingway Special and a classic daiquiri?
The classic daiquiri has rum, lime and sugar; this one has no sugar but has grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur.
What does the name Papa Doble mean?
'Papa' was Hemingway's nickname in Cuba, and 'doble' refers to the double portion of rum he asked for.
Which rum should I use for a Hemingway Special?
The IBA does not specify a brand; Difford's Guide uses a light Cuban rum aged three years for its version.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🥃 Rum — A distillate of sugar-cane molasses, syrup or juice: in the EU at least 37.5% ABV, no flavourings or added alcohol, up to 20 g/l of sugar; in the US bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof) or more.
- 🌍 Latin America — A region from Mexico to the south of South America: about 9% of the world's milk, dulce de leche and fresh cheeses, Argentine and Chilean wines, olives.
- 🥃 Luxardo Maraschino Originale — Luxardo Maraschino Originale is the base Luxardo line: a maraschino liqueur made from marasca cherries, 32% ABV, in a bottle wrapped in straw. A colourless liqueur, not a cherry syrup.
- 🥃 Cuba Libre — The rum and cola with lime: a long drink of white rum, cola and lime juice in a highball glass with ice (IBA, Contemporary Classics). By the best-known version, it appeared in Havana in 1900.
Similar
🥃 Jungle Bird · 🥃 Mai Tai · 🥃 Dark 'n' Stormy · 🥃 Daiquiri · 🥃 Mary Pickford · 🥃 Piña Colada
Sources
- IBA — International Bartenders Association: Hemingway Special (Contemporary Classics; 60 ml rum, 40 ml grapefruit juice, 15 ml Maraschino Luxardo, 15 ml fresh lime; shake with ice, strain into a large cocktail glass)
- Difford's Guide: Hemingway Special Daiquiri (Papa Doble) — Constantino Ribalaigua Vert, El Floridita, Havana; no sugar and double rum; 'Daiquiri Like Papa', 'Papa Doble'; maraschino and grapefruit added later by Antonio Meilan; about 36.7 g alcohol per serve
- PBS, Hemingway Adventure: Hemingway Daiquirí (Papa Doble) recipe from Craig Boreth's The Hemingway Cookbook (rum, juice of 2 limes and ½ grapefruit, 6 drops maraschino, blended with shaved ice)
- American Historical Association, Perspectives on History (Ian Seavey, 14.06.2023): The Imperial Daiquiri — Constantino Ribalaigua Vert, El Floridita, frozen daiquiri
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)