Death in the Gulf Stream Cocktail: Hemingway's Genever Hangover Cure

The Death in the Gulf Stream cocktail, created by Ernest Hemingway in the 1930s, combines Dutch genever (Holland gin) with lime juice and Angostura bitters. Hemingway devised the drink as a hangover remedy during a tuna fishing trip with writer Charles Baker Jr., who named it after Hemingway's earlier cocktail Death in the Afternoon. Genever, a malty proto-gin dating from the 1600s, can be polarizing; Baker described it as tasting like "fermented radishes mixed with spirits of turpentine." The recipe calls for 2 oz. genever, 1 oz. lime juice, 0.75 oz. simple syrup (though Hemingway's original omitted sugar), and three dashes of Angostura bitters, shaken with ice and served over crushed ice. Modern versions often adjust sweetness. Bols is the most common genever brand. The drink is intended to be reviving and refreshing.