Hemingway Special Daiquiri (Papa Doble)
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 18.8% ABV ∙
A no-sugar riff on the Daiquiri, the Hemingway Special (Papa Doble) shakes white rum with grapefruit juice, maraschino liqueur, and lime into a sour served up. Icy and brisk with a tart pucker, its clean spirit backbone gives way to a faintly cherried finish that lingers dry, never syrupy.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: White rum 60 mlGrapefruit juice 40 mlMaraschino liqueur 15 mlLime juice 15 ml
- Strain into a large cocktail glass
Tips
- Use fresh grapefruit juice, not bottled — its bitterness stands in for sugar here and balances the lime.
- Chill the glass before straining; this drink carries no ice, so it warms fast in a room-temperature glass.
- Shake hard and long enough to fully dilute — with no syrup to soften it, under-diluted grapefruit and lime taste sharp.
- Measure the maraschino liqueur carefully; a splash too much pushes the drink cloying rather than balanced.
History
This drink was created in the 1930s at El Floridita in Havana by head bartender Constantino "Constante" Ribalaigua Vert for Ernest Hemingway, who, after tasting the bar's standard Daiquiri, asked for it with double the rum and no sugar. The stronger, unsweetened pour became known first as "Daiquiri Like Papa" and then "Papa Doble," a nod to Hemingway's Cuban nickname "Papa."
Some years later, once Antonio Meilan had taken over as head bartender, maraschino liqueur and grapefruit juice were added to the recipe, and the drink was renamed the Hemingway Special. Ribalaigua typically blended the drink with crushed ice rather than shaking it, following El Floridita's house style for Daiquiris.
This build is a drier, more citrus-forward departure from El Floridita's standard house Daiquiri, dropping the sugar in favor of grapefruit juice and maraschino. The Hemingway Special is recognized by the International Bartenders Association as an official cocktail.
FAQ
What is in a Hemingway Special (Papa Doble)?
White rum, grapefruit juice, maraschino liqueur, and lime juice, shaken with ice and strained up into a chilled glass. Unlike a standard Daiquiri, this build skips sugar syrup entirely, relying on the grapefruit and maraschino for balance.
Is a Hemingway Special shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The citrus juices need the aeration and quick chill of a shake; stirring would leave the drink flat and under-diluted.
What glass is a Hemingway Special served in?
A cocktail glass, served up with no ice, since it is shaken and then strained.
How strong is a Hemingway Special?
It comes in at about 18.8% ABV, fairly light since grapefruit and lime juice make up a large share of the pour.
How is a Hemingway Special different from a regular Daiquiri?
A regular Daiquiri is rum, lime, and sugar syrup, while the Hemingway Special replaces the syrup with grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur, giving it a drier, more bitter profile with a cherry-almond note.
