KoHana Hemingway Daiquiri Cocktail
KoHana Hemingway Daiquiri Cocktail is a ready-to-drink bottled Hemingway Daiquiri from Kō Hana Distillers in Kunia, Oahu, built on the distillery’s Kea unaged white Hawaiian agricole rum and bottled at 22% ABV (44 proof) in a 375mL glass bottle. The Hemingway Daiquiri was created at Havana’s El Floridita bar for Ernest Hemingway — double the rum, go easy on the sugar, add grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur — and Kō Hana gives the literary classic a Hawaiian engine: Kea is distilled from fresh-pressed heirloom native Hawaiian sugarcane, cane whose roots trace back to the voyaging canoes of early Polynesian settlers. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- Proof / ABV: 44 proof (22% ABV)
- Size: 375mL glass bottle
- Base Spirit: KoHana Kea unaged white Hawaiian agricole rum (fresh-pressed heirloom sugarcane juice)
- Flavor: Grapefruit and maraschino-style cherry with natural flavors
- Serve: Shake well, chill, pour over ice; refrigerate after opening
- Origin: Kunia, Oahu, Hawaii
Papa’s Daiquiri, Hawaiian Cane
The story goes that Hemingway took one sip of a daiquiri at La Floridita, asked for double rum and half the sugar, and kept ordering the result — the “Papa Doble” — by the round. Grapefruit and maraschino turned his version into the sharpest of the classic daiquiris, and it demands a rum with real character to stand up to them. Kō Hana, a farm-to-bottle distillery growing heirloom Hawaiian cane on its own Oahu farm, pours this Hemingway in its tasting-room cocktail flight next to the classic lime, pineapple and lilikoi daiquiris. Explore more agricole and island rums in our rum range and the wider ready-to-drink lineup in cocktails.
Tasting Notes
Tangy grapefruit leads, with sweet cherry from the maraschino side and bright citrus over the grassy, funky backbone of genuine Hawaiian heirloom cane. Brighter, drier and crisper than a standard daiquiri — and quietly addictive from the first pour.
How to Enjoy
Shake well, chill, and pour over ice with a grapefruit twist. No bartending required: the balance Hemingway argued for in Havana is already in the bottle, at a proper 22% ABV. Round out the home bar from our spirits shelves at Del Mesa.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a Hemingway Daiquiri different?
Grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur join the rum and lime, with less sugar than a classic daiquiri — the serve built for Ernest Hemingway at El Floridita in Havana, where he drank them as doubles.
What rum is in it?
KoHana Kea, an unaged white agricole rum distilled from fresh-pressed heirloom Hawaiian sugarcane grown and harvested by the distillery in Kunia, Oahu.
How strong is it and how do I serve it?
22% ABV (44 proof) in a 375mL bottle. Shake well, pour over ice, and refrigerate after opening.
Find KoHana Hemingway Daiquiri at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA — the Papa Doble, bottled with Hawaiian cane.