A man walks into a bar and samples some frozen daiquiris. He says to the bartender: “That’s good, but I’d prefer it without the sugar…and double the rum.”

Ernest Hemingway

The year was 1921, and the man was famous American literary Bon vivant Ernest Hemingway, and the bar, La Floridita in Old Havana.

In his honour, La Floridita’s famous bartender, Constantino Ribalaigua, created The Hemingway a variation on a Daiquiri, comprising rum, lime juice, sugar, a couple of shakes of maraschino liquor, and crushed ice. The sugar, which Hemingway eschewed for diabetes-related health reasons, was added for a better balance to what would otherwise be a sour drink.

The classic rum drink is also known as the Papa Doble, Hemingway’s Cuban nickname, referring to his preference for double measures.

Incidentally, Daiquiri is the name of a beat and an iron mine near Santiago de Cuba, although the original Daiquiri was believed to be invented by American mining engineer Jennings Cox.