It is said that when Ernest Hemingway lived in Cuba in the 1940's, he would visit his favorite bar every day and consume up to a dozen of his favorite exotic cocktails, named for a Cuban city. Which drink?

During his two decades living in Cuba, author Ernest Hemingway became a fixture at his favorite Havana bar, El Floridita. It was there that his legendary thirst for a particular cocktail was established. The stories, likely exaggerated but rooted in truth, claim he would sit at the end of the bar and consume the frosty drinks by the dozen, earning him the nickname "Papa" from the local bartenders and cementing his association with this iconic Cuban cocktail.

The drink itself is named after Daiquirí, a beach and iron mine located near the city of Santiago de Cuba. It was reportedly invented there around 1900 by an American engineer named Jennings Cox. The original recipe was a simple and refreshing mixture of rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar, shaken vigorously with ice. Its popularity quickly spread from the mining town to the sophisticated bars of Havana, where it was discovered by tourists, naval officers, and, most famously, by Hemingway himself.

Ever the iconoclast, Hemingway didn't drink the standard version. Due to his diabetes, he had his prepared without sugar and with double the measure of rum. This potent, tart concoction became known as the "Papa Doble." The recipe was later perfected with the addition of grapefruit juice and a splash of maraschino liqueur to add complexity and a hint of sweetness, creating the classic cocktail now known worldwide as the "Hemingway Daiquiri."