Looks like an Old Fashioned, tastes like a Hemingway Daiquiri. Papa would approve.
Combining elements of two different drinks can be a highly effective method of cocktail creation, and one I don’t employ often enough. At some point last year, I had the idea of doing a mashup of two of my favorite cocktails – an Old Fashioned and a Hemingway Daiquiri. So I grabbed my nearest notebook and scribbled down a few thoughts on potential ingredients, proportions, and even gave it name. Then I completely forgot about it.
Recently, amid a similar fit of cocktail inspiration, I grabbed that same notebook and rediscovered my mashup idea. It took a while to execute and underwent a host of tweaks, but here’s what I’m calling the HD Old Fashioned. (The “HD” is short for “Hemingway Daiquiri,” since “Hemingway Daiquiri Old Fashioned is too long and confusing, and my preferred name – Hemingway Old Fashioned – has already been used.)
2 oz Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva aged rum
¼ oz grapefruit-lime syrup (recipe below)
1 bar spoon Luxardo Maraschino liqueur (be conservative; too much will make the drink too sweet)
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: Grapefruit twist
Combine everything except the grapefruit twist in a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a chilled double rocks glass over a large ice cube. Express grapefruit oils over the drink and use the twist as a garnish (either drop it into the drink or wrap it around a maraschino cherry, as shown here).
Background
If you’re unfamiliar with either of the two source cocktails, here’s a quick primer. An Old Fashioned combines bourbon or rye whiskey, simple syrup, and bitters, with a splash of citrus oil from an orange peel.
A Hemingway Daiquiri is a sour twist on a traditional lime daiquiri. Made with white rum, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and maraschino liqueur (and a little simple syrup, depending on your preference), it was named for legendary author Ernest Hemingway, who, on account of his diabetes, wanted a daiquiri with less sugar.
Grapefruit-Lime Syrup
My goal with this syrup was to roughly mirror the ratio of grapefruit juice to lime juice in a Hemingway Daiquiri. In other words, mostly grapefruit but a noticeable bit of lime as well.
Zest of one pink grapefruit
Zest of one small lime
Juice of ½ pink grapefruit, minus 1 tablespoon
Juice of ½ lime (about 1 tbsp), plus 1 teaspoon
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
Add water, sugar, and juice to saucepan. Heat almost to boiling, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved. Add the citrus peels as soon as the sugar is dissolved. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Let sit for one hour. Strain into a glass bottle and refrigerate.
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