contemporary · shaken
Hemingway Special recipe
A grapefruit-and-maraschino daiquiri. Papa took his without sugar.
A Hemingway Special is 60 ml (56.4 g) White Rum, 40 ml (41.6 g) Fresh Grapefruit, 15 ml (15.6 g) Maraschino and 15 ml (15.5 g) Fresh Lime Juice, shaken and served in a coupe. It pours to about 130 ml before ice, at roughly 22.2% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasscoupe
- Methodshaken
- Pour volume130 ml
- Strength (est.)22.2% ABV
- Time4 min
Hemingway Special ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Rum | 60 ml | 56.4 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Fresh Grapefruit | 40 ml | 41.6 g | 1.04 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Maraschino | 15 ml | 15.6 g | 1.04 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Fresh Lime Juice | 15 ml | 15.5 g | 1.03 | Weighed by the coaster |
How to make a Hemingway Special
- Set your coupe on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Add White Rum, Fresh Grapefruit, Maraschino and Fresh Lime Juice to a shaker, weighing each ingredient rather than eyeballing a jigger.
- Fill with ice and shake hard for 12–15 seconds.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
Hemingway Special: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Hemingway Special?
Roughly 22.2% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Spirit-forward. Sip it, do not sink it.
What glass should a Hemingway Special be served in?
A coupe. Chill it first — a room-temperature stemmed glass will undo half the work you just did in the mixing tin.
Can I make a Hemingway Special without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
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