The enduring image of Ernest Hemingway enjoying a mojito may be more legend than fact, according to Hemingway scholars. While the Nobel Prize-winning author spent significant time in Cuba and is often associated with the classic Cuban cocktail, experts suggest his documented preferences lean elsewhere.
Mark Ott, a Hemingway scholar and consulting editor for the documentary "Hemingway," stated that there is little historical record to support Hemingway's connection to mojitos. "I think his connection to the mojito is probably more myth than reality," Ott said. "There's not much of a record of him drinking mojitos."
This notion is often linked to the Havana establishment La Bodeguita del Medio, where an inscription attributed to Hemingway reads, "My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridita." However, historians and scholars have long questioned the authenticity of this signature and the restaurant's operational timeline during Hemingway's stays in Cuba.
By contrast, Hemingway's fondness for daiquiris is well-documented. He was a frequent visitor to El Floridita, another Havana bar, where bartenders developed the "papa doble," a potent variation of the daiquiri with extra rum and no added sugar, reportedly a favorite of the author. Frank Gonzalez, corporate beverage director for the restaurant group Havana 1957, agreed that the daiquiri is strongly linked to Hemingway.
Furthermore, Hemingway's drinking habits evolved over time. As he developed diabetes, he reportedly had to reduce his intake of sugary drinks. Contemporary accounts, letters, and biographies more frequently mention Hemingway with a daiquiri, beer, wine, or scotch than with a mojito. Ott noted the scarcity of photographic evidence showing Hemingway with a mojito, contrasting it with numerous images of him holding beer bottles or martinis.
Scholars like Ott emphasize that scotch was another drink Hemingway decidedly favored. "He certainly liked his scotch. There's no question about that," Ott said.
Despite the scholarly debate, the mojito remains a celebrated Cuban cocktail. Gonzalez described it as a classic combination of white rum, fresh lime juice, mint, sugar, and soda water, best when prepared with fresh ingredients and a gentle muddling technique.
Ernest Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, and died on July 2, 1961.