Hemingway Daiquiri Cocktail Recipe: How to Make a Hemingway Daiquiri Cocktail

The Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail is a traditional rum drink made with four primary ingredients to achieve the perfect balance of sweet and sour flavours: light rum, maraschino, fresh lime juice, and grapefruit juice. The Hemingway Daiquiri recipe originally left out the maraschino and grapefruit and was commonly served with a double cocktail glass. This initial recipe tasted like watered-down rum with a dash of lime, and was originally an overall bland drink.

The Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail, otherwise known as the Hemingway Special, originated from the original Floridita Daiquiri cocktail in Havana, Cuba. The classic cocktail drink was named after Ernest Hemingway on one of his stops in Cuba. The Hemingway Daiquiri drink was born out of the writer’s desire to recreate a Daiquiri cocktail with minimal sugar and a double shot of light rum. Over time, the addition of tarty grapefruit and cherry taste from the maraschino liqueur has improved the cocktail drink, giving it more flavour with a subtle sweetness. It is best recommended for those who enjoy strong beverages with a hint of sweetness.

What are the ingredients for a Hemingway Daiquiri?

Listed below are the ingredients for a Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail.

• 50ml Light Rum: Light rum, often known as white or silver rum, is practically colourless and light in flavour. It is filtered numerous times to remove contaminants and is not aged for an extended period of time. This is the rum most often used in mojitos.
• 20ml Fresh Lime Juice: Lime juice is the liquid extracted from limes that have been freshly squeezed. Lime juice that has been freshly pressed is a real treat. It's tart, acidic, and simply fresh.
• 20ml Grapefruit Juice: Grapefruit juice is the juice extracted from grapefruits. It has a sweet-tart taste. Grapefruit is available in different varieties, including white, ruby and pink grapefruits.   
• 10ml Maraschino: Maraschino liqueur comes from marasca cherries in Italy, distilled to perfection. Maraschino cherries have a slightly sour flavour, harvested from the Tapiwa cherry tree.

1. 50ml Light Rum

1.7 ounces (50ml) of Light Rum is an essential and primary ingredient for the Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail. Light rum adds more depth to the cocktail, but a lighter flavour than gold or dark rum. It contains approximately 36-65% of alcohol by volume with 130 calories. El Dorado is the best recommended light rum to use when mixing a Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail.

2. 10ml Maraschino

10ml of Maraschino liqueur adds a sweet cherry flavour that blends well with other ingredients present in the Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail. The Marasca flavour gives a bittersweet, almond-like taste that adds depth to the drink. Maraschino liqueur contains 73 calories in one serving and 32% of alcohol by volume. For that additional cherry taste, use the brand Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur.  

3. 20ml Fresh Lime Juice

Lime juice is necessary for making the Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail. The lime juice adds a slightly tangy and sour flavour to the drink. Fresh lime juice does not contain any alcohol content, however, it does have 8 calories.

4. 20ml Grapefruit Juice

Grapefruit juice adds that tangy fruity taste to the Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail. The addition of grapefruit juice is an upgrade from Ernest Hemingway's original recipe that omits sugar syrup from the Daiquiri recipe. Grapefruit juice contains 39 calories per 100 grams and has zero alcohol content.

How to make a Hemingway Daiquiri Cocktail?

Preparing a Hemingway Daiquiri Cocktail has never been easier thanks to this recipe, so don't miss it and make the most out of the cocktail!

1. Pour all the ingredients into a shaker and shake.
2. Fine strain into a chilled Martini or Coupe glass.
3. Garnish with a cherry.

1. Pour all the ingredients into a shaker and shake.

In a shaker filled with ice, combine the light rum, maraschino, fresh lime juice, and grapefruit juice. Shake until the cocktail is chilled. This particular step is necessary because it balances the cocktail's flavours.

2. Fine strain into a chilled Martini or Coupe glass.

Strain into a chilled Martini or Coupe glass to make sure there are no unwanted substances added to the drink. It is important to strain the cocktail first before serving because the classic Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail is traditionally served with no ice.

3. Garnish with a cherry.

Using a tiny skewer, spear some cherries together and lay them down across the rim of the martini or coupe glass. The Hemingway Daiquiri drink is made more visually appealing with the added cherry garnish; it also serves as a representation of the cherry taste of Maraschino liqueur in the drink.  

What nutritional benefit can you get from drinking a Hemingway Daiquiri Cocktail?

The Classic Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail has no nutritional benefit. The Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail contains 182 calories and 19.59% alcohol by volume.

What are the different variations of Hemingway Daiquiri Cocktail?

There are multiple variations of the Classic Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail drink, including the Original Classic Daiquiri, Flavoured Daiquiri Cocktails, and Frozen Daiquiri Cocktails. To variate a Hemingway Daiquiri Cocktail drink, the bartender should add some ingredients. The procedure of making other variations of the Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail is just the same as making the classic one. A bartender can add some fruits to the original to give the drink a stronger fruity flavour. A frozen version of the Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail includes crushed ice in the mix rather than removing the ice before serving.