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Greetings, dear readers of my blog! The other day I attended a meeting of a local book club. The regulars of the event discussed the immortal classic – Hemingway’s novel A Farewell to Arms! And at the same time, imagine drinking tea and coffee. When I asked the waiter to bring me whiskey, they looked at me like I was crazy.
For me, to discuss the work of old Ham over tea is just blasphemy. I had to read a short lecture to book lovers on the topic “Hemingway’s favorite drink”, and at the same time tell about some interesting facts about the writer’s biography. For example, that the story “The Old Man and the Sea” was written by him mainly behind the bar. And she won the Nobel Prize!
However, I hope you will read about the biography of Papa Ham on your own, in more serious sources (believe me, it’s worth it, the writer’s life was amazing!). But I suggest talking about his favorite drinks in more detail.
What did Ernest Hemingway drink?
Take any scanword, and with a probability of 70% you will find in it a question about Hemingway’s favorite drink. The answer will usually be a six-letter word, in the middle of which the letter X will later appear. It is implied that this is a mojito, and this is not far from the truth.
But those who make up crosswords forget that old Hemingway loved life in all its diversity too much to limit himself to only one favorite drink. He had a kind of drinking schedule, which he strictly adhered to for many years:
- morning – mojito in one of the favorite Cuban bars;
- during the day – whiskey, wine or martini;
- after dinner – cocktails “Bloody Mary” or “Death in the afternoon”;
- evening – daiquiri, already in another favorite bar.
The writer’s love for absinthe is also known. They say that even after the official ban on this drink, one could always find a couple of bottles of green potion in the bins of Papa Ham. He used it, like rum, mainly in cocktails. And he loved whiskey. By the way, Hemingway most often took this drink with him on trips and drank undiluted.
In general, according to the memoirs of contemporaries, Ernest Hemingway preferred either undiluted alcohol or unsweetened cocktails. For example, he would hardly have liked the “Irish car bomb”, popular in those years, because of the high content of liquor in it. But the writer drank dry martini with pleasure.
Evil tongues claim that Hemingway had a tendency to diabetes and therefore tried to limit his sugar intake. But this version seems untenable to me. Well, a man who went through the war, who wrote such a masculine prose, and indeed, having such a character and a great love of life as old Ernest, could not seriously calculate the amount of sweets in his diet.
It seems to me that he simply did not like sweet drinks, they did not fit with his character. And I think if you have read at least one of his works, you will agree with me.
Hemingway’s favorite alcohol with cocktail recipes
To the members of the book club I attended, I seriously advised the next time to arrange a drinking party in honor of Hemingway, and not coffee and tea gatherings. After all, he does not have a single novel or short story that does not mention alcohol. Why not research?
You can identify the favorite drinks of the characters, try to repeat the recipes of the cocktails mentioned in the books, try to find out why the character drinks this type of whiskey … the topic is inexhaustible.
And as a treat for such a party, you can prepare Hemingway’s favorite alcoholic cocktail. Or even several. Where to get the recipe? I will gladly share with you!
Mojito
There is no drink more refreshing than a mojito. And no newfangled Hugo (not to be confused with scylla hugo!) based on elderberry syrup can compare with it!
Ingredients:
- white rum – 40 ml;
- lime juice – 30 ml;
- peppermint – 6 leaves;
- cane sugar;
- soda;
- crushed ice.
Preparation:
- put mint leaves on the bottom of the glass, sprinkle with sugar, pour lime juice and mash;
- add some soda;
- fill the glass to the brim with crushed ice;
- pour in rum;
- pour a glass of soda to the top;
- stir the drink so that the mint rises to the top.
The options are:
- Instead of lime juice, you can use citrus slices. But in this case, the drink will be bitter – the zest of the fruit will give it a bitter taste.
- Rum is allowed to use only Cuban. Depending on the budget of the party, it could of course be Ron Varadero or Bacardi. But if you want maximum authenticity, I recommend Havana Club.
Daiquiri
Ingredients:
- white rum – 110 ml;
- grapefruit juice – 2 teaspoons;
- Maraschino liqueur – 2 teaspoons;
- lime – 1 pc.;
- crushed ice.
Preparation:
- squeeze lime juice, strain;
- place crushed ice in a blender, pour all the ingredients;
- beat at low speed for 20 seconds;
- switch to maximum speed, beat for another 30 seconds;
- Pour the contents of the blender into a martini glass.
The options are:
- You can cook daiquiri not only with grapefruit juice, but also with orange.
- For greater authenticity, you can not add sugar to the blender, but pour another portion of rum. Get a drink called Papa Doble. According to eyewitnesses, Hemingway loved the daiquiri in this version.
Bloody Mary
Ingredients:
- 150 ml of tomato juice;
- 40 ml of vodka;
- a few drops of Tabasco sauce;
- a couple of drops of Worcestershire sauce;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:
- pour tomato juice into a chilled glass;
- on the back of the spoon, pour vodka into a glass so that it does not mix with juice;
- add spices and sauces.
You can decorate the glass with a slice of lemon or a stalk of celery. However, Hemingway himself was so fond of this drink that he prepared it immediately in a jug. So, he obviously did not bother with decorations.
Death in the afternoon
Ingredients:
- absinthe – 45 ml;
- champagne – 140 ml;
- lemon zest – for decoration.
Preparation:
- pour absinthe into a champagne glass;
- pour champagne on top
- wait until the drink reaches the state of “opal cloudiness”;
- decorate the cocktail with lemon zest.
Hemingway came up with the recipe for this drink on his own. And he recommended drinking it slowly, 3-5 servings at a time. I think, already on the basis of these facts, “Death …” can be called Papa Ham’s favorite drink.
Whiskey
There are a lot of whiskey-based cocktails. But Hemingway preferred them all to drink undiluted, with a maximum of a few ice cubes. Of the varieties, the writer was especially fond of single malt single malt aged for at least 12 years. I recommend you follow his example.
Martini
Hemingway also preferred this drink in its pure form. And be sure to grade dry (dry). But the writer’s love for the Vodka-Martini cocktail, which he often ordered in Cuban bars, is also known. It’s easy to prepare.
Ingredients:
- dry vermouth – 10 ml;
- vodka – 40 ml;
- a teaspoon of lemon juice;
- a couple of olives;
- ice.
Preparation:
- fill shaker with ice
- add vodka;
- shake the shaker for about 10 seconds as intensively as possible;
- top up with a martini shaker;
- shake all the ingredients;
- pour the drink into a glass, add lemon juice and olives.
Pour the drink from the shaker through a strainer so that no ice crumbs get into the glass. If you don’t have lemon juice, you can add some lemon syrup to the glass instead. But only a little, so that the drink does not acquire a sweet aftertaste. Although, if you like sweets, why not …
Wine
Wine was Hemingway’s constant companion at dinner. However, the master did not disdain them at other times of the day. Contemporaries call favorite sorts of the writer:
- red dry Chianti;
- Cabernet Sauvignon;
- Chateau Margot.
Choose according to your taste and wallet, I can’t give unequivocal advice here.
Interesting Facts
Hemingway tried his favorite mojito for the first time in Cuba, at the bar La Bodeguita del Medio. And, literally after the first portion, he became a regular of this institution. Every morning the writer began with a visit to this bar. And until now, “Bodeguita” is considered the place where they prepare the perfect mojito, literally the standard of this drink.
Another bar made famous by Hemingway, the second of Ernest’s favorite Cuban bars is the Floridita bar in Havana. Here old Ham dabbled in daiquiris with double rum in the evenings. Today, the interior of this bar is decorated with photographs of the writer and references to his works. And in the corner of the bar sits Hemingway himself, or rather, his statue. And every day, employees of the institution put a glass of daiquiri in front of her, thus honoring the memory of the master.
Probably, it is in Florida that it is worth arranging a literary debate dedicated to the works of Hemingway. As soon as I have the opportunity to visit Havana, I will certainly look into this bar, and, of course, I will tell you about my impressions.
Subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss this report. In the meantime, you can mix up any of the above cocktail recipes, grab your favorite Hemingway volume from the shelf, and have yourself a nice literary evening. By the way, tell us later in the comments, does the perception of The Old Man and the Sea change much if you read it under a daiquiri? And recommend this pastime to your friends.