Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Hotel

“Night with Daiquiri and Mojito”

“… My Mojito
In la Bodeguita,
My Daiquiri
In El Floridita”
Ernest Hemingway

Cuban summer, heat, bungalows and rum.
It is no secret that the favorite drinks of Ernest Hemingway, who settled in Cuba at the time of his creative upsurge, were rum-based cocktails, namely the pleasant Daiquiri and the refreshing Mojito. It was he who managed to glorify these traditional cocktails around the world. There is a legend that he could not start work without a good glass of Mojito, and he himself wrote about his books "...sold like cool Daiquiris in hell."
Hemingway Bar is an echo of the famous writer's Cuban past here in St. Petersburg. With the onset of sunny weather, one so desires the lightness and freshness that “Mojito” and “Daiquiri” are so rich in. The classic “Mojito” with the help of juicy strawberries, fresh raspberries and fragrant blackberries acquires a new taste of freedom and fun only at Hemingway Bar’e, and 11 different variations of the Daiquiri cocktail will not leave indifferent even the most sophisticated lover of Cuban drinks.
Good news for lovers of famous cocktails will be the start of the “Night with Daiquiri and Mojito” campaign, the essence of which is that every day from 21:00 to 00:00, when you order one cocktail, you get the second one absolutely free.
To try what Daiquiri and Mojito should be like, it is not necessary to travel to Cuba.
Hemingway Bar is a small birthplace of a great drink in the very center of St. Petersburg!

Paris belongs to Hemingway more than any other city, than any other capital. The memory of the author is kept by Parisian streets and walls. Ham is everywhere.

Has anyone written better about Paris, living at the same time in the past and the present?

Go meet Hemingway at the Closerie de Lila, at the Harris Bar, at the Ritz, and you will see that miracles are possible. Here in Paris, taking a cocktail in your hand, you yourself become Hemingway.

YEARS OF HAPPINESS

Why is a writer only in agony able to find the right words? Isn't literature just one of the symptoms of mental illness? Hemingway did not feel able to describe Paris for a long time. When happiness turned into memory, memory into nostalgia, nostalgia into pain, only then did the words appear. They were accurate, true and beautiful. Although none of Hem's novels were set in Paris, or even in France, Paris was the only city to which the master dedicated his posthumously published work. . In it, he recalls the best years, the years of youth and ascent to literary maturity. Years of poverty... Years of happiness... Perhaps the only ones...

IN "A holiday that is always with you" in fact, not much of a holiday. It is rather a book about a man who met happiness too early, without realizing it himself, and now, in his declining years, trying to revive the memories of those happy days. If a feeling of happiness sometimes shines through, it is only thanks to the ghosts that arise in the memories of lost youth. At the same time, pain is omnipresent. "A holiday that is always with you"- the most beautiful of the books about Paris. For many people, including myself, Paris is Hemingway, Hemingway is Paris.

HEMINGWAY'S PARIS BARS

“When I imagine the afterlife, the action always takes place at the Ritz.”

E. Hemingway

Today, in order to get to know Hemingway's Paris, it is best to visit his favorite bars. He's likely been to countless Parisian establishments, but here are three of the most emblematic bars of the Hemingway era.

The interior of the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Hotel.

HEMINGWAY BAR AT THE RITZ HOTEL

In my opinion, this is the only real "Hemingway bar" on the entire planet. At first it was called Café des Dames (“Ladies' Cafe”), because it was intended for the fair sex, who at that time were not allowed into the famous Ritz bar Cambon, where the legendary Frank Meyer reigned at the bar in the 1920s. Then the “Ladies' Cafe” turned into Le Petit Bar (“Small Bar”), where the bartender Bertin served as a priest.

It should be noted that the Ritz is not associated with the Parisian period of Hemingway's life, which is reflected in the book. "A holiday that is always with you". In 1925, young Ernest did not have sufficient funds to become a regular at the Ritz. But later, at the height of his celebrity and fame, the Ritz became his hotel and Le Petit Bar his favorite bar. By the way, everyone is more or less aware of the legendary episode from the life of Hem, when during the Second World War he liberated the Ritz bar from the Nazis.

Le Petit Bar became a meeting place for Hem's horse racing friends.

Le Petit Bar was renamed Hemingway in 1979. In 1994, a young man named Colin Field became its head bartender. Since then, he has become a living legend in the bar world.

The Hemingway bar, along with the Ritz, has been under renovation for a couple of years now. It is expected that by the end of this year it will finally open its doors, of course, under the leadership of Colin. And there is not the slightest doubt that the Hemingway bar will again become the temple of cocktails that it has always been.

Vodka, which arrived in Paris at about the same time as Hemingway, has a prominent place on the cocktail menu at the Ritz's Hemingway bar. On its basis, both classic and author's cocktails are prepared. Among the latest: Ritzini by Colin Field.

Ritzini cocktail

When Colin Field joined the Ritz Bar, he was one of the first to do research into homemade tinctures and their use in cocktails. The result of these studies was the refined and minimalist Ritzini cocktail, which firmly fit into the Hemingway bar map among other martinis. Colin himself refers Ritzini to the family of perfect cocktails, that is, suitable for serving at any time.

Vodka Gray Goose - 60 ml

Vodka tincture with ginger* — 15 ml

Mix the ingredients for 10 seconds in a mixing glass filled with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

* In order to prepare this tincture, you need to fill a small bottle of vodka 7/10. Add a handful of ginger, peeled and cut into small cubes. Put for 3 weeks in a dark place. Shake the bottle from time to time.

"HARRIS BAR"

Of course, Hem could not have been unaware of the Harris Bar, the American "alcoholic consulate" of Paris since the 1920s. Indeed, Hemingway's biographer Hotchner says that the writer had known Harry McElhone since the bar opened, and that it was here that he got the idea to write the novel. "A Farewell to Arms".

Behind the counter "Harry's Bar" (Harry's New York Bar).

As you open the bar door, you're almost ready to see Hem's signature silhouette leaning against the bar. One thing is certain: Harris Bar hasn't changed at all since Ernest's last visit in the 1950s. The same pennants behind the counter, and many of the dollar bills on display, date back to the same time. What is even more surprising: the cocktail list here has not changed much. "Harris bar" provides a unique opportunity to taste cocktails with a taste frozen in time. They are served by bartenders who are completely indifferent to trends, fashion, new mixology trends and bitters, with the exception of Pesho and Angostura. Cocktails here are prepared with great skill, but without a hint of a show. In this "Harris bar" remains a typical bar of the great era of cocktails, the golden age, which, coincidentally or not, was also the golden age of Ernest Hemingway.

Bloody Mary at Harris Bar, one of Hemingway's favorite cocktails. This combination of vodka, tomato juice and spices was created at the Harris Bar in the early 1920s.

Cafe "Closerie de Lilas" (Closerie des Lilas), next to which Hemingway lived in the 1920s.

"CLOSERIE DE LILA"

The apartment that Hemingway rented in Paris was located above a woodworking workshop. Escaping from the noise, he took refuge in the Caférie de Lila, which became his place of work. There he diligently mixed alcohol and literature.

In Closeri, he developed his literary theory, which consisted in the rejection of everything superfluous. Paragraphs built from short snippets of phrases separated by commas or semicolons were born slowly. As the words were removed from them, they turned into a text backbone, without meat and fat. And this filled Hem with happiness. For him, rigor of style was the point of exposition. It is possible that alcohol helps to highlight the main thing and leads to the restraint of what is written. Here's another useful property of alcohol!

The result of his method, which he polished all his life, was, for example, this passage, translated into all languages ​​​​of the world and containing all of Hemingway's music:

“When we lived above the sawmill at 113 rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, the nearest good cafe was the Closerie de Lila, which was considered one of the best in Paris. It was warm in winter, but in spring and autumn round tables stood in the shade of the trees on the side where the statue of Marshal Ney towered; ordinary square tables were placed under large awnings along the sidewalk, and it was very pleasant to sit there.

"Closerie de Lilas" (Closerie des Lilas) today. Behind the counter is permanent chef-bartender Yves Esposito.

To write about Closeri de Lila today is to write about Hemingway. To write in Closery would be to write like Hemingway. But this is not given to anyone. Therefore, we will put away pens and notebooks, or rather, a laptop, which, however, is not welcome here, and indulge in cocktails.

And what cocktails! Chef bartender Yves Esposito got it right. He knows how to give a new impetus to his mixed drinks, linking them to "trends", but does not lose sight of the basis of his art. His cocktails, classic or signature, are intense, vibrating with taste and harmony. They have an excellent balance of sweetness and acidity. The flavors set off the base drink in such a way that you always know exactly what you are drinking: rum, cognac or whiskey, and not the contents of any bottle. These are not tourist cocktails. These are cocktails for writer-tourists, which is not the same thing at all.

Try, for example, the fruity and elegant French Martini, which combines modern flavor combinations with a classic approach to bartending.

"HEMINGWAY. AMERICAN IN ITALY»

POST 5: "PARIS HEMINGWAY BARS »

Bar Hemingway (Hemingway Bar), located in the Paris Ritz Hotel - perhaps the most famous and most expensive. Until the 80s of the last century, it was called The Little Bar, but after seven years of reconstruction it was renamed in honor of " Papa Ham“who didn’t spend the night here. In general, the theme of Hemingway and bars is rich and varied, and Hemingway and Paris is boundless.

It was love at first sight and for life, and it began in 1921, when today's classic was still an unknown journalist. With no extra money, Hemingway and his first wife led a fairly modest life. Friendship with Francis Scott Fitzgerald opened the doors of the bars of the fashionable Ritz to him. Fitzgerald was famous for his passion for luxurious living. A well-known writer and highly paid author of the then "glossy" magazines could afford a luxurious life in the most famous hotel in Paris. The two writers were united by one common passion - both drank excessively.

« Whether Hemingway or Fitzgerald won the battle for the title of best writer of their generation, unfortunately both lost the battle to alcohol. Alcohol never loses»

In 1926, the novel "The Sun Also Rises" was published - a book that glorified Hemingway and brought the young author worldwide fame and material independence. Since then, the Ritz and Hemingway have become almost synonymous - “When I think about living in paradise, my imagination always takes me to the Ritz in Paris.”

Bar "Hemingway" has collected an extensive collection of tales and legends about the famous regular.

In 1944, during the Allied landings in Normandy, Hemingway, a war correspondent, obtained permission to participate in military operations and led a group of 200 French partisans. Entering Paris, Hemingway went to "vacate the cellars of the Ritz Hotel." The Germans were no longer in the hotel, and Ham began a noisy celebration. The manager of the Ritz did the impossible - during the occupation he kept the famous wine cellars of the hotel intact. “On the evening of that day, the foreign correspondents accompanying Leclerc appeared in Paris. Photojournalist Robert Capa found himself near the Ritz Hotel and recognized the soldier guarding the entrance to the hotel as Hemingway Pelkey's chauffeur. He briefly reported to Robert:

“Dad took over a good hotel. Lots of things in the cellars. Go upstairs quickly." And immediately, a stream of visitors rushed to room 31 at the Ritz Hotel ”…

(Boris Gribanov. “ Hemingway”).

So, protected for several years, wine cellars could not resist the onslaught of Hemingway. True, the most valuable brands of wine and champagne were secretly transported to a cave on the left bank of the Seine even before the invasion of the German army, where they waited for the liberation of Paris.

During his Parisian period, Hemingway developed a passion for horse racing. Together with his friend and later biographer Aaron Hotchner, he founded a betting fund called "The Hemhotch Syndicate" that waxed and waned. They would gather at The Little Bar at exactly noon to count the profits or losses and choose the next favorite. The discussion was not complete without Hemingway's favorite Bloody Mary cocktail, which was drunk in unimaginable quantities. Once, at the end of December, they bet all the fund's money on an obvious outsider - a stallion named Bataclan (bets 27:1). Almost all the bartenders, waiters and concierges of the Ritz took part in this enterprise. Surprisingly Bataclan came first. The winnings were split in the Hemingway Room, and the raucous celebrations continued throughout Christmas.

Bloody Mary cocktail (Bloody Mary) became a symbol of the Ritz Hotel in Paris thanks to bartender Bernard ‘Bertin’ Azimont. By all accounts, his Bloody Mary was the best in Paris. There is a legend that he invented this cocktail for Hemingway in 1950. Doctors forbade the writer to drink. Mary Welsh, Hemingway's fourth wife, took the ban very seriously and kept her husband under close surveillance. And then Bertin came up with an ingenious mixture - a drink saturated with alcohol, but leaving purity of breath. Hemingway was happy and, in honor of the victory over his annoying wife, named the drink after her. True, this is nothing more than a legend. There is a letter from the writer, written in 1947, where he gives a detailed recipe for "Bloody Mary" and writes: - I brought the drink recipe to Hong Kong in 1941 and I think that this factor is more than any other, except, perhaps, the Japanese army, played a decisive role in the fall of this British colony.

In 1956, Charles Ritz, a hotel owner and friend of Hemingway, found a suitcase in the basement that the writer had forgotten. It was crammed with notebooks of life in Paris in the 1920s. These drafts formed the basis of the book of memoirs “A holiday that is always with you”. So the Parisian "Ritz" has contributed to American literature.

Today's Ritz, with all reverence, keeps the memory of the famous guest. Hemingway Bar is decorated with photographs of the writer himself, and visitors are offered his favorite varieties of malt whiskey. The bar is dominated by Colin Peter Field. According to Forbes magazine, he was twice recognized as the best bartender in the world. And the French newspaper Figaro included him in the top twenty of the most creative personalities among writers, famous chefs and artists. “Making a cocktail is a matter of psychology. When I serve a cocktail to a woman, I like to think that for a while it will become one of her ornaments” (Colin Peter Field). The Hemingway bar mixes one of the most expensive cocktails in the world, worth 1,350 euros. This Ritz Sidecar cocktail (Ritz Sidecar). It consists of Cointreau liqueur, freshly squeezed lemon juice and exclusive Ritz Reserve 180-year-old cognac. Colin Field says ordering “Ritz Sidecar, you get to experience something that no longer exists. The fact is that cognac is made from rare grape varieties that were destroyed by phylloxera in the 1860s. Only a few bottles of this rare drink have survived in the world, and every year the cost of a cocktail based on it is growing..

In 2012, the legendary hotel and its no less legendary bars closed for renovation, which will last until 2014.

COCKTAIL"BLOODY MARY”

The Bloody Mary is one of the official cocktails of the International Bartending Association. Ingredients of the official recipe:

• 45 ml of vodka.
• 90 ml of tomato juice.
• 15 ml lemon juice.
• 2-3 drops Worcestershire sauce
• Tabasco, celery salt, pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients, pour into a tall highball glass. Garnish with a celery sprig and a lemon wedge.

Hemingway's Bloody Mary Recipe

Take a good-sized pitcher (cooking less does not make sense). Mix a pint (approximately 0.5L) of good Russian vodka with an equal amount of chilled tomato juice. Add a full tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and a sip of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Then add a small amount of salt, cayenne and black pepper. Mix and taste the result. If it's too strong, add tomato juice; if it's weak, add vodka; if you want to get drunk, add Worcestershire sauce. Bloody Mary is a blank canvas waiting for the artist to express himself.

The two-layer Bloody Mary is especially popular. Tomato juice is mixed with salt and pepper. Then another pinch of pepper is poured onto the juice layer, and then vodka is carefully poured over the knife so that the layers do not mix and are pronounced.

There are many variations of this cocktail with the replacement of vodka with other spirits:

Brown Mary or Whiskey Mary using whiskey instead of vodka, Bloody Mary with tequila, Bloody Geisha with sake, Bloody Bishop with sherry, Red hammer with gin.

You can create your own version of the famous cocktail by experimenting with the proportions of vodka, tomato juice, sauces and spices, or by adding some new component. "Bloody Mary" does not tolerate strict rules, for which he is loved by many.

To put it bluntly, I am a non-standard visitor to the Hemingway Bar.
Came here for the first time with my husband. he was craving a beer). And I'm calm for beer, and driving as usual. In general, I was not particularly positive. It was in December.
There is no interior in my opinion. There are girls, in flocks and by the piece, in skirts and almost without. But it doesn't affect my appetite. There was still a strong desire to eat, while I understood that we were in a bar and did not expect anything tasty ...

As a result, they ordered me stuffed squid (I don’t remember the exact name) and hot beef.
Husband - salad with salmon and something else. Well, Guinness, of course.

They brought me squid. It is something! I did not believe my eyes and receptors. It was very tasty! The husband dragged half a plate, as his salad was no.

The main course was beef (or veal?). In general, the waiter mixed up and instead of some meat and a lot of risotto, they brought me a dish consisting of a huge mountain of meat. Indignantly, I began to chew, intending to formulate to the waiter that this is not what I ordered. But! It was delicious meat, in unrealistic quantities. For some reason, the photo does not reflect the volume of the portion)). And I ate almost everything. Although physically it seemed impossible to me.

In general, we left pleasantly surprised and decided to visit again.

On the next visit, the squids were far from being so tasty, and this is perhaps the only thing that was remembered.
Yes, also the fact that the restaurant rating called me back three times, asking where we are and why we didn’t come. And the administrator with an independent look was walking around, trying to figure out those idiots who had booked a table in an almost empty restaurant).

The third visit was yesterday, in honor of the football match. I must say that I love football almost as much as Guinness. But what can't you do out of love for your spouse!

To our surprise, we got a very decent table. The menu has changed dramatically over this time.
It became more comfortable and more boring-bar.

My husband ordered a salad with shrimp (420), and I ordered fajitas with them, from the Mexican section of the menu (500). Fresh grapefruit + celery (175), well, Guinness, a lot of Guinness (250 each)!
Husband's Guinness is quite satisfying here. My juice was clearly not grape, but apple.
The salad was good enough.

The fajitas are excellent in my opinion. Vegetables, shrimp, separately beans with cheese and rice, separately three sauces (salsa, guacamole and something mayonnaise-garlic), plus tortillas. For 500 rubles! Great!

The service is strange. Either they forget completely, or very polite and diligent service. There is a girl maniacally cleaning used napkins, you gape a little).

In general, I quite like it here. And for lovers of beer, football or girls - it’s completely expanse!