Hemingway Special – Rum, Grapefruit & Maraschino Havana Daiquiri

The Hemingway Special cocktail trades the classic Daiquiri's simple syrup for grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur, creating a sharper, more complex rum sour. Grapefruit brings bittersweet citrus, lime supplies acidity, and maraschino adds just enough fruit and almond-like depth to round out the drink without making it overtly sweet.

From Hemingway's Havana

The drink is tied to Ernest Hemingway's well-documented fondness for Daiquiris at El Floridita in Havana. His preference for a stronger, less-sweet Daiquiri inspired the Papa Doble, while a later variation combining rum with grapefruit, lime, and maraschino became known as the Hemingway Special. The drinks are closely related, but their histories and formulas should not be treated as identical.

What You'll Need

Ingredients

• Light Rum – provides the clean sugarcane base and keeps the citrus in focus.
• Grapefruit Juice – brings tartness, gentle bitterness, and the drink's defining citrus character.
• Maraschino Luxardo – contributes restrained sweetness and distinctive cherry-pit complexity.
• Lime Juice – supplies the sharp acidity expected from the Daiquiri family.

A dry white rum is the closest substitute for light rum. Fresh pink or white grapefruit both work, although their sweetness and bitterness can differ. Another quality maraschino liqueur can replace Luxardo, but avoid cherry syrup or sweet cherry-flavored liqueurs because they change the drink's balance.

Equipment

You'll need a cocktail shaker, jigger, cocktail strainer, ice, and a chilled cocktail glass.

A Daiquiri With a Drier Edge

What separates the Hemingway Special from a standard Daiquiri is its lack of added sugar. Maraschino contributes some sweetness, but grapefruit and lime keep the drink firmly citrus-driven. The result is leaner, more bitter, and more aromatic than the familiar rum-lime-sugar formula.

Substitutions & Variations

For a slightly softer drink, choose a naturally sweeter pink grapefruit. White grapefruit creates a more bitter, assertive version.

If you prefer a rounder balance, a small amount of simple syrup can soften the acidity, although that moves the recipe away from the official Hemingway Special specification.

For a frozen interpretation inspired by El Floridita's Daiquiri tradition, blend the ingredients with crushed ice instead of shaking them. Treat this as a variation rather than the standard IBA service.

Helpful Tips

Use freshly squeezed lime and grapefruit juice when possible. Citrus is doing most of the structural work here, so tired juice quickly makes the drink taste flat.

Chill the glass before shaking. Because the Hemingway Special is served without ice, starting with cold glassware helps it stay crisp longer.

Measure the maraschino carefully. Too much can overwhelm the grapefruit and push the drink toward an unexpectedly sweet, perfumed profile.

Shake firmly with plenty of ice, then strain promptly. The goal is a thoroughly chilled drink with enough dilution to soften the rum and citrus without losing their definition.