Hemingway Special Daiquiri (Papa Doble)

Difford's Guide
Discerning Drinkers (169 ratings)

Garnish:

Luxardo maraschino cherry &/or lime wedge/wheel

How to make:

SHAKE all ingredients with ice and fine strain into chilled glass.

3 1/2 fl oz Light gold rum (1-3 year old molasses column)
1 fl oz Pink grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)
3/4 fl oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
1 fl oz Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1/2 fl oz Sugar syrup 'rich' (2 sugar to 1 water, 65.0°Brix)
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AKA:

Papa Doble Daiquiri

Review:

This drink is also known as a Papa Doble for good reason, it's twice the size of a regular cocktail. Hence the above recipe will fill one oversize Martini or two regular coupe glasses.

If you've a bone dry palate and would like to sample a true Hemingway Special without the addition of sugar then try the following authentic recipe given to me by Alejandro Bolívar Rodriguez, Head Bartender at El Floridita, Havana, Cuba where this cocktail is blended and not shaken. Indeed, blending rather than shaking Daiquiris is the default at El Floridita.

Daiquiri Hemingway (El Floridita's recipe)
Glass: Hurricane
Garnish: Straw
Method: BLEND all ingredients with crushed ice for five seconds.
90ml (3oz) Light Cuban rum
5ml (1 spoon) Maraschino liqueur
30ml (1oz) Grapefruit juice
15ml (½oz) Lime juice

History:

Created by Constantino (Constante) Ribalaigua Vert, the legendary head bartender of El Floridita, Havana, Cuba for Ernest Hemingway, after the great man wandered into the bar to use the toilet. When Hemingway tried the Floridita's standard frozen Daiquiri, he is quoted as saying, "That's good but I prefer it without sugar and with double rum" - so the Hemingway Special was born.

Hemingway suffered from haemochromatosis (a rare hereditary disease that can lead to diabetes) from which his father also suffered, hence his aversion to sugar. The original version was exactly as Hemingway requested a Daiquiri without sugar and heavy on the rum, basically, rum shaken with a splash of lime juice.

Years later after he took over the position of Head Bartender at El Floridita, Antonio Meilan added maraschino and grapefruit juice into the drink. Today sugar is commonly also added to balance this drink and make it more palatable to people with less sour palates than Hemingway.

Hemingway was affectionately known as 'Papa' in Cuba and this drink was originally named 'Daiquiri Like Papa' and then later 'Papa Doble'. After Meilan added maraschino and grapefruit the drink changed its name again to the Hemingway Special we recognise today.

Daiquiri cocktail history

Nutrition:

One serving of Hemingway Special Daiquiri (Papa Doble) contains 346 calories.

Alcohol content:

  • 2.8 standard drinks
  • 19.59% alc./vol. (39.18° proof)
  • 39.7 grams of pure alcohol
Difford's Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Buy direct from
the_whisky_exchange store logo
£ -.--

Makes a minimum of ... cocktails
Just £ -.-- per cocktail*

* This list may not include all required ingredients.
Price per cocktail is an estimate based on the cost of making one cocktail with the available ingredients shown above and does not include any postage charges.
Buy direct from Difford’s Guide
Difford's Easy Jigger
£8.72 £8.72 exc VAT
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