This popular cocktail made with white rum, lime juice, and sugar was popularised at the Floridita bar in La Havana, Cuba, the establishment is known worldwide thanks to the American writer and journalist Ernest Hemingway, who visited it regularly.
It is said that the daiquiri was created by an American engineer who received a visit from some friends and, running out of gin, he used local rum and mixed the drink with the juice of limes from a tree he had in his garden. The name of the cocktail would be related to the Daiquiri beach in Santiago de Cuba, where it was the mine where the engineer worked.
It was Floridita's mixologist, Constantí Ribalaigua i Vert from Lloret, who refined the daiquiri recipe to the point of perfection. He invented the frozen daiquiri, also known as Floridita daiquiri or daiquiri Lloretense, adding crushed ice to the cocktail to get a more refreshing drink with a different texture.
Constantí Ribalaigua was born in 1888 in the town of Lloret de Mar in Catalonia. In 1899, when he was only eleven years old, he emigrated to Cuba with his family. Shortly after, he started working at El Floridita, a bar in Havana owned by two brothers from Lloret de Mar, Narcís and Francesc Sala Parera. In 1918, Constantí Ribalaigua bought the establishment.
Constantí Ribalaigua was considered the best mixologist of the 20th century and some of his creations are among the best Caribbean cocktails of all time. In addition to the most famous version of the daiquirí, Constantí Ribalaigua invented more than 150 cocktails for the most demanding Floridita drinkers, such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Graham Greene, Gary Cooper or Ava Gardner.
The American writer and journalist Ernest Hemingway, a regular at the Floridita, said: "the daiquiris that Constantí made didn't taste of alcohol and the feeling when drinking it was the same as skiing down a glacier covered by dusty snow”
Constantí Ribalaigua designed a daiquiri for the selfsame Hemingway, without sugar, and with double the rum. Today, this daiquiri is known as daiquiri papa or papa doble, by the name the writer was known in the Floridita (“Papa Hemingway”).
This very popular cocktail is prepared with white rum, lime juice from the Caribbean, white sugar, crushed ice, and a few drops of maraschino. If green lemon from the Caribbean is not available, yellow lemon can also be used, although it is somewhat more acidic than green lemon and must be compensated with an extra teaspoon of sugar.
To prepare a daiquiri, mix 5 cm3 of white rum, 2.5 cm3 of green lemon juice and a tablespoon of sugar. So that the sugar does not remain at the bottom, dissolves, and mixes well, put the mixture in the blender for a few seconds.
Next, add the ice and put it back in the mixer, this time for about a minute, so that the daiquiri is "frozen"; it is important to leave it for as long as necessary so that the cocktail does not become watery.
Once it is finished, serve it in a previously iced cocktail glass and add the maraschino, a liqueur with a very strong and sweet taste. The Daiquiri is not a sweet cocktail but rather dry and refreshing, so a few drops of maraschino, with the sugar added previously will be enough.
Nowadays, there are many versions of the daiquiri. It can be made with fruit such as strawberry, banana, or pineapple, and even without alcohol. If you're looking for a place in Lloret de Mar to taste this cocktail, look our post about places to have a drink on the Costa Brava.
Now that you know that it was a Lloret native who perfected the daiquiri recipe, come and enjoy his cocktail legacy in the town of Lloret de Mar. Rosamar Hotels has five hotels located just a few steps from the beach, one of which, Hotel Rosamar Es Blau Adults Only (+16), has been certified as a specialist in the preparation of the daiquiri and is part of the "Be Frozen My Friend Tour", which will be held in Lloret de Mar throughout 2022.
Hotel Rosamar Garden Resort, is a 4-star all-inclusive hotel, is located 300m from Lloret de Mar beach. It has swimming pools, slides, and water attractions.
Hotel Rosamar & Spa is a 4-star superior hotel located on the beachfront. It has an adults only spa and a chill out, besides a wide variety of restaurants.
Hotel Rosamar Maritim is a 4-star hotel located in front of Lloret de Mar's main beach. It has a terrace with a swimming pool, gym and sauna, and the rooms have sea views.
Hotel Rosamar Es Blau Adults Only Hotel (+16) is a 4-star superior hotel for adults only (over 16 years old) located on the second line of the beach, just five minutes from the city center. It has its own spa and an outdoor pool.
Hotel Rosamar Maxim Adults Only (+18) is a 4-star adults only hotel (of legal age) located in front of Sa Caleta beach. It has a panoramic terrace with sea views and a mini-Balinese pool.
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