hemingway and daiquiris

[Ken Gargett]

following on from hemingway and mojitos...

The Most Famous Daiquiri in the World Tastes Like Sweet, Frozen Fame January 9, 2016 / 12:00 pm

By Luis Cobelo

Ernest Hemingway liked his daiquiri unsweetened and oversized: four ounces of white rum blended with crushed ice, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, and six drops of cherry liqueur from El Floridita bar, in Havana, Cuba. Legend has it he once drank 16 of these “papa dobles” in one sitting. Perhaps this is why the daiquiri became a cocktail classic.

Hemingway at el Floridita bar. An archive photo, courtesy of Floridita Bar.

Daiquiris are, in appearance, a simple thing: white rum, lemon juice, sugar, and crushed ice that’s shaken vigorously into frothy frostiness. But as David A. Embury wrote in his book, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, the daiquiri “is a cocktail that is difficult to improve upon. It is dry, yet smooth. The reaction time is short.” They also go down real easy.

These days, it is, sadly, hard to get a decent one, even if you’re in Cuba. Playa Daiquirí, where the drink was invented, now belongs to the Cuban military, and most bars in Havana serve monster aberrations called “slurpe-slushees”–industrially-flavored smoothies made with processed sweeteners.

Floridita Bar. Foto de Luis Cobelo.

After sipping on a few of these myself, I’ve realized that Hemingway’s favorite drink seems to be trapped in sweet, frozen nostalgia for Havana’s Golden Age.

Hemingway’s first trip to Cuba took place in 1928; he stayed for a couple of days during a layover on his way back to the US. His biographers claim that the images of a lavish and magic Havana were instantly burned into his retinas, which would become the beginning of a historic future for both Cuba and the nobel laureate.

Outside El Floridita. Photo by Luis Cobelo.

But it wasn’t until 1932 when Hemingway returned to Havana, looking to fully dedicate himself to his passion: fishing. He stayed at Hotel Dos Mundos, an iconic hotel, and dropped by El Floridita for daiquiris and La Bodeguita del Medio on a daily basis for mojitos by the bucketful. Who could blame him?

As the story goes, Hemingway was walking through Calle de Obispo, one of Habana’s busiest areas in 1934, when he needed to use the bathroom and randomly walked into El Floridita. On the way out of the restroom, he noticed the bar’s drinks and asked Constante, the bartender and founder of the establishment, to serve him what everyone else was drinking. He gave the daiquiri a taste and said “I want it with no sugar and double the rum.” Constante, used to pleasing his customers—especially if they were gringos—complied, and when handing it to him said “Ahí está, papa” Giving birth to the “Papa Hemingway.”

Photo by Luis Cobelo.

From that moment on, the writer adopted a new routine: every morning before fishing, he would send his chauffeur to El Floridita to get a thermos full of Papa Hemingways to get him through the day. On weekends, he would sit down at the bar from opening time as if it was his personal office and meet his friends and colleagues there. The Duke of Windsor, Gene Tunney, Jean-Paul Sartre, Gary Cooper, Luis Miguel Dominguín, Ava Gardner, Tennessee Williams, and Spencer Tracy all made appearances.

The famous barman, Constante. Archive photo, courtesy of El Floridita Bar.

In 1954, El Floridita’s owners placed a life-sized bronze statue of the writer in his usual corner spot. To this day, the spot is still reserved for Hemingway.

El Floridita bar today. Photo by Luis Cobelo.

The bar still exists, it’s been nicknamed, “The Cathedral of Daiquiris and Daiquiri’s Birthplace,” though nowadays it feels more like a tourist trap that’s feeding off of its glamorous past. They still make a killer daiquiri and it’s worth a visit, though next door there’s another bar (that shall remain nameless) where the daiquiri is equally as good and much cheaper. To me, they share the title of Cuba’s tastiest daiquiri, but at El Floridita, you have to pay for the price of fame.

[Phillys]

Thanks for the article Ken, great piece of history.

I like my daiquiris like Hemingway did, no sugar, double rum.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[raymond5737]

Ken:

You are a true romantic and an old soul and I'd be honored to meet you one day. Your story tugs on the heart strings of every Caribbean adventurer; from the guy learning how to SCUBA or sail the open sea, speak Spanish to a beautiful senorita, or to the guy looking for the perfect place to smoke his favorite cigar. Hemmingway seemed to find his own way, his own style, past times and friends. Don't we all search for those very qualities of life

[Ken Gargett]

Ken:

You are a true romantic and an old soul and I'd be honored to meet you one day. Your story tugs on the heart strings of every Caribbean adventurer; from the guy learning how to SCUBA or sail the open sea, speak Spanish to a beautiful senorita, or to the guy looking for the perfect place to smoke his favorite cigar. Hemmingway seemed to find his own way, his own style, past times and friends. Don't we all search for those very qualities of life

i didn't write it, but i do look forward to catching up.

[JohnS]

Maybe it's a moot point, but i can't help but feel that those daiquiris in the first image have egg white added to them to get the ingredients to bind that way after shaking. Like so...

Hemingway certainly did like his daiquiri cocktails. This we can all agree on!

[Habana Mike]

Must say the "stock" Daiquiri serverd at the Floridita today could come straight from a 7-11 Slurpee machine. No wonder Papa asked for less sugar and more Rum!!!

[dowjr1]

Great article Ken!

[irratebass]

Interesting, thanks for posting.

[helix]

When I make em... Rum 3oz , 1/2 oz Cherry Liqueur (white) , Juice of 1 Lemon and about a cup of crushed ice. Shaken frothy in a Jigger.

[free85]

Thanks again for an interesting read (and great Hemingway info), Ken! Shaking two of these up for the lady and myself as I tap this out.

[Easttide]

After reading this last weekend I started mixing them during the afternoon game (Patriots). I see lemon mentioned here a few times but all the research on the Papa Doble I found was with lime? No sugar for me, either. I have Havana Club Anejo, but no white, so I used Rhum Barbancourt White. Really good. I only made it through 5, then some Marlborough Savignon Blanc and felt a-ok the next morning. Guess that a big Pats win leaves you elated, not hungover.