We like to think of the daiquirì as a little black dress, a classic that never goes out of style.
As everything old turns new again, there are now several remakes of the daiquirì but we are interested in the classics, so we turned to El Floridita, one of Ernest Hemingway’s favourite haunts where the daiquirì variation dubbed the "Papa Doble", that he so famously enjoyed, came to life.
You know the old phrase, "a man walked into a bar" well, it isn't far from the truth! The story goes that one day Ernest Hemingway came wandering into El Floridita in search of a bathroom. He challenged the bartender, the infamous Constantino Ribalaigua Vert to make him a daiquirì to suit his personal taste. The original daiquiri had only rum, lime and sugar, Constantino obliged and swapped the sugar for grapefruit juice (Hemingway was diabetic and disliked sugary drinks) and added a few drops of Maraschino liqueur. He mixed the ingredients in a blender and named his version "Papa Doble" after the great Hemingway himself.
Let’s raise our martini glasses and toast to not only timeless fashion, but to one of Cuba’s finest rum cocktails as well.
Hemingway said that these drinks “had no taste of alcohol and felt, as you drank them, the way downhill glacier skiing feels running through powder snow.”
For Two
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups crushed ice
4 ounces Bacardi light rum
Juice of 1/2 a medium grapefruit (1/2 cup)
Juice of 2 large limes (4 tablespoons)
4 drops Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add the rum, grapefruit and lime juice and Maraschino liqueur. Shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds. Pour into a blender with the crushed ice and blend at high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour into two chilled cocktail (martini) glasses, garnish with lime wheels and… Salud!
Photo via Viktoria's Table
Recipe inspired by Paladares