Happy Birthday, Hemingway!

Photo courtesy of Cuba Libre.

Ok, he never lived in DC, but Papa Hemingway is still a favorite of mine, so we’re wishing him a happy birthday! Not for his writing really (though I did have to mimic his style several times at nerd camp, but that’s another story), but for his passionate love of the cocktail.

Today at Cuba Libre there will be a special happy hour to celebrate his 112th birthday, held from 4:30-6:30pm with $5 Papa Doble daiquiris and $4 small-bites like salted cod fritters with lemon mayonnaise. Cuba Libre has been celebrating National Daiquiri Month at all their locations with a special $10 daiquiri menu in honor of Hemingway, in a promotion called “Do It Like Ernest.” Does that mean brawling and bull-fighting? Well, probably not, but it does include daiquiris and dishes with blue marlin and bluefin tuna as a toast to Hemingway’s prowess as a fisherman. That tuna is pan-roasted with a rum glaze, of course.

The Papa Doble is a double of the Hemingway Daiquiri, created at the El Floridita bar in Havana by the “King of the Daiquiri” – Constantino Ribalaigua. Hemingway was a big fan of Ribalaigua’s daiquiris (he used to show up at the bar at 10am), especially #3, which was eventually renamed in his honor. Featuring white rum, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and maraschino liqueur, it’s just the right balance of smooth and tart. Hemingway was not a fan of sweet drinks, so if you aren’t as well, this could be the daiquiri for you.

As one of the founding editors of We Love DC, Jenn’s passions are theater and cocktails. After two decades in the city, she’s loved every quirky, mundane, elegant, rude minute of her DC life. A proud advocate for DC’s talented drinks scene, she’s judged the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s ARTINI contest, the DC Rickey Month contest, the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Cocktail competition, and is a founding member of LUPEC DC. A graduate of Catholic University’s drama program, she toured the country as a member of National Players, and has been both an actor and a costume designer before jumping the aisle to theater criticism. Writing for We Love DC restored her happiness after a life-threatening illness, and she’s grateful to you, dear readers. Send your suggestions to jenn (at) welovedc (dot) com and follow her on Twitter.

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