Hemingway is a craftsman, an artist with words that changed how novels were written. His simple, concise style helped to redefine what it meant to be a sentence. As if Hemingway were speaking of his own writing when he said, “All my life I’ve looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time.” He made me see the novel for the first time. 

Thankfully, he also helped to redefine what it meant to drink, but it didn’t come without its price: “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.” The man had problems, too many to recount here, but I would never say he had an alcohol problem, except perhaps that there was just too little of it. If you really want a glimpse into Hemingway, read this Salon article that explains why men like Hemingway drink.

But perhaps that’s enough about Hemingway. Let’s move on to the drinks named after him: the Hemingway Daquiri and the Papa Doble. Since the Papa Doble is really just a large Hemingway Daquiri, let’s start there. Tomorrow we will talk about the other La Florida drink, but the Papa Doble is the real winner. 

Lots have been written about it, such as this great Wall Street Journal article. There, the author goes through the history of the drink and explains why people generally make it incorrectly. First, they often use lemon instead of lime juice; second, they don’t know what maraschino liqueur is; and third, they don’t add grapefruit juice. 

So let’s get to it. In a blender, add

• 2 oz white rum
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• ½ oz fresh grapefruit juice
• ¼ oz maraschino liqueur
• 1½ to 2 cups shaved ice

Blend until smooth and pour into a wine goblet or some large glass. You can also add a little bit of sugar if you need to.

It’s one good daiquiri, which is what it’s like. I also like to make them in a shaker and pour them over crushed ice, although they’re not really a frozen daiquiri at that point. Try making them yourself. Once you have fresh grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur, nothing’s stopping you from making an excellent drink.

But when you do make one, make sure you toast to Papa Hemingway’s drunken, Cuban ways. And maybe read The Sun Also Rises while you’re at it.