Logan R. Brouse, proprietor and mixologist of Logan’s Punch, has run bars and clubs in Shanghai for over six years. In between hangovers, he puts pen to paper in his column for That's to record his pontifications on the drink industry.
A literary giant and a hero to the booze world, Ernest Hemingway is the ultimate everyman’s hero. This was a World War I ambulance driver that rose to fame on two things – tense, hauntingly beautiful prose and being the goddamn Theodore Roosevelt of drinking. A man, who if given the opportunity to travel to the here and now, would watch and laugh with big knee slappers at the trappings of modern society; the douche bags who vape, and the imbeciles who line up four hours for a piece of cake.
And yet, his most famous cocktail is pink, made with cherry liqueur and tastes like citrus lightning. Oh yeah, warm up your shotgun and stroke your beard because we are talking about Hemingway Daiquiris.
First the history: created in Cuba at the La Floridita Bar, in Havana, the story goes that Hemingway was headed from the bathroom, noticed a daiquiri, tried it, liked it and decided it would be better with double the spirits and none of the sugar.
Of course, someone else came up with the balanced classic that still bears the great author’s name, but like much cocktail history, the provenance of this recipe has been lost to muddle-headed hangovers.
The original version, the one Ernest himself asked for, is bitter, bland and utterly illustrative of his hardcode attitude towards earthly existence – not something you’d really want after the first curious sip.
The modified namesake daiquiri includes cherry-flavored maraschino liqueur, and despite this still packs a delightful zesty punch. Like Hemingway’s prose, sharp and inspired ingredients go a long way with just a few strong flavors. I mean, how many times have you tried cherry and grapefruit together?
A word about the glass you’re going to be drinking this out of – a coupe. These are the long-stemmed, round glasses used for martini-style drinks as well as Champagne (think glassware from The Great Gatsby). Rumor has always been that its shape is an homage to Marie Antoinette’s left breast. True or not (debunked by many websites and TV shows), once you get the image and story in your head, it comes to life in a risqué way that would surely make Papa Hemingway proud.
My favorite Hemingway quote, and coincidentally, the one I have on the bathroom door at my bar is, “I drink to make other people more interesting,” which really says a lot about the man and why we imbibe. In the age of Fruity Pebbles flavored vape pens and soy mocha whipped Frappuccinos, the hard living life of Hemingway shines out in a way that tells you to always drink life in, even though you might not like the hangover.
To create this masterpiece, you’ll need to shake the following recipe over ice, and strain it into a chilled coupe glass:
1 ½ oz. white rum
¾ oz. fresh lime juice
¼ oz. fresh grapefruit juice
¼ oz. maraschino liqueur
Garnish: orange peel twist
Read More: This Day in History: Hemingway Visits China
Read more of Logan's columns here
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