Of all the literary greats that America has spawned over the years, none has the double reputation of being a big boozer quite like Ernest Hemingway — and writers in general aren’t exactly known for being teetotalers.
Hemingway’s become so well-known in cocktail circles for his influence on classic drinks, in fact, that many a modern tipple have been named after him. Cocktail expert Philip Greene has even written a whole book about the drinks that Hemingway and his characters once enjoyed.
“Perhaps more than any other writer, he engaged his characters in the act of eating and drinking — be it at a cafe or a campfire, fishing the Gulf Stream or on safari in Africa — and he described it in such rich detail, readers can almost smell and taste the scene,” Greene writes in the introduction of his “To Have and Have Another: a Hemingway Cocktail Companion” (Perigee, $26.50).
Recently released as a revised edition to the original book, Greene’s exploration of Hemingway’s boozy habits is an absorbing look at a very different era in U.S. history: a time when downing 17 daiquiris at a Cuban bar was simply one way to spend a rainy afternoon. Or maybe that was just Hemingway.
In any case, try these two cocktails over the course of reading “To Have and Have Another.” After all, there’s no better way to get to know a man than by enjoying the same things he did.
Jack Rose
2 oz. apple brandy
1/2 oz. fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 oz. grenadine
Shake well with ice; strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with twist of lime or lemon peel.
— From Philip Greene’s “To Have and Have Another”
Papa Doble
3 3/4 oz. white rum
2 oz. fresh lime juice
2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
6 drops maraschino liqueur
Blend well with ice. Serve in a large chilled goblet.
— From Philip Greene’s “To Have and Have Another”
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