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    ERNEST HEMINGWAY

    One of the 20th century’s most influential authors, Hemingway credited his success to a simple formula: “Write drunk. Edit sober.” Ernest (or “Papa” as he was known to his friends and barmates) is believed to have spent the majority of his waking hours with at least a mild buzz on, and is credited with the invention or popularization of several cocktails, such as the absinthe-and-champagne concoction “Death in the Afternoon” (named after his bullfighting novel) or the “Papa Doble” daiquiri (a double daiquiri with Maraschino instead of sugar).

    As the foremost chronicler of manly man activities, Hemingway preferred liquor neat or on the rocks and/or dry, sour cocktails; the Havana-area bar La Bodeguita del Medio claims he had a fondness for their mojitos but it’s not easy to imagine him sitting down to work on a draft of "The Old Man and the Sea" while pounding down a froo-froo, minty sugar drink.