Ernest Hemingway, a famous drinker who apparently wrote a few books too, was a regular customer at the famous Havana watering hole La Floridita. Here, he enjoyed all the usual perks of a regular - his own place by the bar, a friendly relationship with the owner and head bartender, Constantino Ribalagua, and of course, his regular drink.

Hemingway had three requirements for his perfect drink: It should not be artificially sweetened with sugar or any kind of syrup, it must be ice-cold and it must be strong. It turns out that the famous Daiquiri already being served at La Floridita was pretty close to what he was after.

Removing the sugar killed the balance of the drink, so he added some maraschino liqueur as a sweetening agent, and some grapefruit juice to get the flavour just right. To get the drink cold enough, he insisted on shaking with crushed ice instead of cubed ice, and also had the drink served with ice instead of straining it.

Making the drink stronger was just a case of making it a double. This also indirectly named the drink, since the drink was actually named after Hemingway’s nickname, Papa Doble, a nickname he earned by always ordering doubles.

So that’s the theory, anyway. On to the practice.

Recipe:

2 oz. white cuban Rum
1 oz. Lime juice
1/4 oz. Maraschino Liqueur
1/4 oz. Grapefruit juice

Pour all ingredients over crushed ice in a shaker, and shake the hell out of it. Serve the whole mess into a double rocks glass. I doubt that Hemingway bothered with a garnish, but you can’t go wrong with a lime wheel.

You can also blend everything together in a blender.

Notes:

My first thought after trying the Papa Doble (once I managed to pry my frozen fingers from the shaker) was “this could use some sugar.” My second thought was “wow, this is cold!” After sipping on the rest of the drink, though, I think I quite like it. It is bitter, but still refreshing, in a similar way to Campari.

Alert readers will have noticed that although this is supposed to be a double, the amount of rum is the same as in a regular Daiquiri. I imagine that it should be served as twice what is in the recipe. That would be 4 ounces of rum, etc. If this is not so, and someone knows how this works, feel free to leave a comment enlightening us.

Rating:

- Makes you feel like a suicidal alcoholic in a third-world nation. But in a good way.

The summer is starting to take a hold around here, and that means I’ll be wheeling out some classic summer drinks. First up, hailing from the caribbean island of Cuba, is the Mojito.

The Mojito is probably the best-known cuban drink at the moment, since it has been fashionable for a couple of years now. The unashamed use of fresh mint is one of the reasons it stays in people’s minds, and the fact that it’s an authentic drink that actual cuban people drink makes it special. This last point is why I like to keep things as close to the original as possible. For that, we need the right ingredients.

First up is the rum. It must be cuban, and should be Havana Club Añejo 3-year-old. However, there are other cuban rums you can try.

The mint must be the hierbabuena type used in Cuba (and thankfully also the most prevalent here in Spain.) This mint has wider leaves and a lighter colour than the more common spearmint, and is more fragrant.

Finally, even though most sources omit it, I have it on good faith from people who have been to Cuba that cuban bartenders add Angostura Bitters to the Mojito. The recipe I’ve sourced comes from a cuban bartender on a spanish-language mailing list, so I’m reasonably confident it’s correct.

Recipe:

1 1/2 oz. White Rum (Havana Club 3-year-old is authentic)
1/2 oz. Lime juice
3 oz. Seltzer
2 fresh mint sprigs (about 8-10 leaves)
3 drops Angostura Bitters
1 tsp Sugar

Put the sugar in a glass and add the lime juice (about half a lime’s worth). Place one of the mint sprigs in the glass and muddle the mint well with the sugar. Add a little seltzer and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the rum, the lime hull and a few ice cubes, top up with seltzer and garnish with the remaining mint sprig. Finally, add the bitters carefully to the drink, without stirring.

Notes:

One of the quintessential cuban drinks, and a cocktail standard. Very fashionable lately, it doesn’t hurt that it’s one of the best summer drinks out there, in my opinion.

Rating:

- Four stars for a classic.

Recipe:

1 oz. Tequila
1 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Gin
1 oz. Light Rum
1 1/2 oz. Coconut Cream
1 oz. Grenadine

Mix everything in a blender with crushed ice.

Via: Coco Lopez

Notes:

Ouch. (again.) I found this drink quite by accident, looking for something else. Still, it looked so over-the-top I couldn’t help myself. Actually, it’s not as bad as it looks. The (cheap) tequila gives it a slightly unpleasant edge, but it’s otherwise just another girl-drink (it is intensely pink). Keep this in mind for bachelor-parties and other such events.

The original recipe called for 151 rum, I changed that to regular rum because I figured that might be overkill. Shouldn’t have bothered. Also, I adapted the recipe to one serving.

Rating:

- Has its uses, but I’m too old for them (unfortunately).

Recipe:

8 oz. Passion Fruit juice
1 1/2 oz. Overproof Rum (Bacardi 151 is canonical)
1/2 oz. Orange Curaçao
1 oz. Jamaican Rum
1 oz. Bourbon
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Fill an enormous glass with crushed ice, pour in everything, and stir well. Garnish with pineapple, mint, a fun flower, and a wooden back-scratcher (hopefully the lack of a back-scratcher won’t affect the taste).

Via: Kaiser Penguin, originally from Jeff ‘beachbum’ Berry’s Intoxica

Notes:

I actually tried this cocktail last summer, after Kaiser Penguin’s first mention of it. The combination of the strong-tasting Jamaican rum and the bourbon is striking, and the combination of both with the passion fruit, a tropical staple, makes this a great drink to while away long summer afternoons in the sun.

Rating:

- Too summery and too many ingredients for the full four-star treatment, but a great drink nonetheless.

Recipe:

1 oz. Tequila
1 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. Rum
1 oz. Gin
1.5 oz. Lemon Juice
1 Splash Coca-Cola

Mix ingredients together over ice in a tall glass. Pour into shaker and give ONE brisk shake. Pour back into glass and make sure there is a touch of fizz at the top. Garnish with lemon.

Notes

Ouch. If you make this properly, it should taste very similar to Iced Tea and the alcohol will barely be noticeable. Some recipes I’ve seen also call for Vodka, but it seems like overkill to me - this drink doesn’t need strengthening.

Rating

- For special occasions only, if you’re over 21.