• The El Floridita Bar was Hemingway's Havana hangout back in the day. The place is just as classy today, with bartenders in old school ties and waiters donning natty red jackets.

Photos by
Fábio Fonçati

Hemingway Days

Today marks the start of the 30th annual Hemingway Days, a week-long festival in Key West celebrating Ernest Hemingway—writer, hunter and all-around American icon. Of course, if you can't make it down to Florida for the marlin fishing tournament or look-alike contest, you can celebrate what would've been Hemingway's 110th birthday tomorrow with his signature daiquiri, which happens to be an ideal summer cocktail. "Hemingway is probably one of the most iconic drinkers of all time," says spirits writer Matthew Robold, who runs RumDood.com. "His rather prodigious drinking included spirits of all kinds, as his tastes changed based on where he lived." It was in Cuba, at the El Floridita Bar in Havana, that he discovered the thirst-quenching joy of a good daiquiri. Not the strawberry smoothie kind, but a simple, tart yet refreshing drink. No wonder he's rumored to have put down as many as ten on a good day. A very good day, indeed.

Shake brutally with ice and strain into chilled glass.

• 2 oz. white rum
• ½ oz. fresh lime juice
• ½ oz. grapefruit juice
• 1 tsp. Maraschino liqueur
• 1 tsp. sugar