Hemingway Daiquiri

Given that Peggy is one of the world’s greatest Ernest Hemingway devotees and a lover of the famous Hemingway daiquiri cocktail, it only seemed fitting that she narrate this post. It is her recipe, after all! Here she goes:

I’ve always loved Hemingway, but this love grew even deeper after stumbling upon a collection of his poems while taking a study break in the Cushwa-Leighton library while attending school in South Bend. I was looking for any kind of distraction, and boy did I find one. 

Along with poems, I stumbled across a book of short stories containing Hemingway’s first published work entitled Up in Michigan. I read it standing there in the stacks, mesmerized by the concise language and stripped-down style, set in my home state. That encounter would lead me on a journey to read everything Hemingway had ever written, and much of what had been written about him, while I was at college. 

In all my reading, I learned of the Hemingway daiquiri. Legend has it that Hemingway first tasted daiquiris at a bar in Havana. No idea if it’s true. But we know Hemingway’s drinking was as prolific as his writing…. Here is the drink that connects me to my literary hero, so I drink one whenever I see it on a menu and make it at home. Now, I’m excited to get to share it here, too. 

What Is a Hemingway Daiquiri?

The Hemingway Daiquiri is a variation on the classic daiquiri, made with white rum, fresh lime juice, fresh pink grapefruit juice, and Luxardo maraschino liqueur. There’s no simple syrup, which keeps it dry, tart, and refreshing. It’s exactly the kind of drink that earns repeat orders!

The story behind it is as good as the drink itself. It’s said that Hemingway first tasted daiquiris at El Floridita, a bar in Havana, Cuba that became one of his regular haunts. Legend has it that after trying one, he told the bartender to cut the sugar and double the rum, and that bare-knuckled version became known as the Papa Doble (Papa being his Cuban nickname).

Over time, the bartenders at El Floridita refined the recipe for broader appeal, lightening the rum and adding maraschino liqueur for a hint of sweetness and complexity. That version became the Hemingway Special, or, as it’s known everywhere else in the world, the Hemingway Daiquiri. It’s now officially recognized by the International Bartenders Association! 

Ingredients You’ll Need

Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete ingredient list and instructions! 

• White Rum: A light, clean white rum works best. Bacardi Silver, Plantation 3 Stars, or Banks 5 Island are all good options. Avoid anything aged or dark. You want the citrus and maraschino to shine through! 
• Fresh Lime Juice: Always use fresh lime juice. Bottled versions have none of the brightness that we need for this cocktail. 
• Pink Grapefruit Juice: Pink grapefruit juice is slightly sweeter and more floral than white grapefruit juice. Save the red for red grapefruit mimosas. 
• Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur: This is the key ingredient that truly transforms the drink. Luxardo is the gold standard, made from sour marasca cherries. It has a complex, nutty, floral flavor that no other brand replicates. It’s worth every penny, and I promise we’ll find other uses for it. Or, you may enjoy these daiquiris enough that it’s not an issue!

How to Make a Hemingway Daiquiri (3 Ways)

As long as you have the proper ingredients, the Hemingway daiquiri can be prepared three different ways, all of which are great. 

• Shaken (classic): Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the rum, lime juice, grapefruit juice, and Luxardo. Shake very, very well, longer than you think you need to. Strain the mixture into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wheel cut to fit over the rim and serve immediately.
• On the rocks: Follow the same steps listed for the shaken cocktail, but strain the liquid over fresh ice into a short rocks glass rather than a chilled glass.
• Frozen: Add all ingredients to a blender with a generous amount of ice. Blitz until smooth and slushy. You’re going for a refined slush, not a Slurpee. Pour the mixture into a glass and garnish with lime.

Tips for the Best Hemingway Daiquiri

• Chill your glass. Fill your coupe or cocktail glass with a bit of ice water while you’re making the drink, then dump it out right before straining. A cold glass keeps the cocktail at its best from first sip to last.
• Shake longer than you think. This drink is better cold and slightly diluted. Don’t rush the shaking step.
• Taste before you strain. If the drink tastes too tart, add a small splash (1/4 ounce) of simple syrup. This is a perfectly respectable adjustment. Hemingway’s taste in cocktails leaned heavily toward “more alcohol, less everything else,” and that is not necessarily a template we should follow.
• Use Luxardo, not cocktail cherries. Maraschino liqueur and maraschino cherry juice are not the same thing. Not remotely. Luxardo is the one you want.

More Cocktail Recipes

• Amaro Cocktail
• Mulberry Manhattan Cocktail
• Strawberry Gin Jam Cocktail
• Sparkling Pomegranate Cocktail