For the curious home bartenders out there, I've set aside a dedicated list of all the ingredients you'll need. Now let's dive into the history.
The Hemingway Special, also known as "Papa Doble," is the personal variation of the Daiquiri created at El Floridita in Havana for Ernest Hemingway. The writer was diabetic, and in the 1930s he asked bartender Constantino "Constante" Ribalaigua to remove the sugar and double the rum. Constante responded by also adding grapefruit and a few drops of maraschino.
Hemingway declared it his favorite, and the story goes that he once drank 16 in a single session, a record immortalized on the walls of El Floridita. Today a bronze statue of Papa still leans on the bar he made famous, and the Hemingway Special is the most ordered cocktail in Havana — a liquid piece of 20th-century literary mythology.
To make this recipe shine, pair a great story with great tools. A barman kit like the one I use from Amazon is the perfect starting point: compact, complete, and ready. For those ready to take the next step, a professional cocktail bar station is a real game-changer — think of it as your personal speakeasy.