To Have and Have Another Revised Edition: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion

by Philip Greene

Ernest Hemingway is nearly as famous for his drinking as he is for his writing. Throughout his collected works, Papa's sensuous explorations of the delights of imbibing engaged both his characters and his readers. In To Have and Have A Hemingway Cocktail Companion, Philip Greene, cocktail historian, spirits consultant, and cofounder of the Museum of the American Cocktail, offers us a view of Papa through the lens Papa himself preferred—the bottom of a glass. A bartender’s manual for Hemingway enthusiasts, this revised and expanded volume offers a unique take on Hemingway’s oeuvre that privileges the tastes, smells, and colors of the cocktails he enjoyed and the drinks he placed so prominently in his stories they were nearly characters themselves. To Have and Have Another delivers fascinating and lively background on the various drinks, their ingredients, their histories, and the characters—real and fictional—associated with them. From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Biography, History, France, Nonfiction, Cocktails

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2015

Reviews

[Chris Rehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book with some great stories and history of various cocktails, focused on drinks and anecdotes related to Ernest Hemingway. Anyone who is a Hemingwayphile will enjoy this book immensely.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

For folks who may think it a bit strange to read a cocktail book cover to cover in a couple of sittings, I would note that Philip Greene's To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion is part biography, part literary teaser, part bar manual, and part cocktail history. Its author, Philip Greene, is not only one of the founders of the Museum of the American Cocktail (housed inside the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in NOLA, check them out at https://southernfood.org/cocktail-mus...), but is also a descendant of 19th-century pharmacist and inventor of Peychaud bitters, Antoine Peychaud. (And by day, he works as at the Pentagon as Trademark and Internet Counsel for the USMC.) Greene has put his considerable knowledge of the history of cocktails and familiarity with Hemingway's life and works to very good use in this small book that was as enjoyable to read as it will be to field test. I read the revised and expanded version, published in 2015.

Each entry in To Have and Have Another begins with the recipe for the particular cocktail (and OMG who knew just how many bars laid claim to inventing a particular drink or just how many variations there might be on the Hemingway daiquiri [you know, the yummy one with grapefruit juice]?!), instructions for its preparation (including which glass it is to be served in), and then the book(s) and chapter(s) in which it appears. What then follows is a short synopsis of how Hemingway might have been introduced to that particular libation or how he introduced some other notable individual to it, a clever and relevant anecdote, a link back to its appearance in particular Hemingway works, and a recommendation or funny parting warning from the author before proceeding to the next entry.

To Have and Have Another is a super thorough book and provides a tremendous amount of information without ever feeling as though one were reading a textbook. It contains a foreword, an introduction, a multi-page timeline identifying pivotal events in Hemingway's life that feature throughout the book's pages, the entries for some 60+ cocktails (presented in alphabetical order by name) containing all of the elements described above, a collection called "Papa's Legacy" containing recipes only (no stories and literary links) for some 30 Hemingway-inspired drinks by renown bartenders/mixologists from around the world, a glossary, acknowledgments, notes, and an index. What a thorough job! The book is illustrated with a great range of historic photos of Hemingway and assorted literary and Hollywood luminaries, historic documents related to the particular libation being featured, period advertisements for products that make their way into the coupes and assorted bar ware referenced throughout the book, and cover art from assorted period bar manuals and books related to the drink or some element of an anecdote being shared. It also contains box text features, and is graphically very attractive with careful attention to even the smallest detail such as font choice. All artwork is captioned and credited without ever tipping over into feeling as though one were reading a textbook. (Although wouldn't that be a novel mid-term and final exam?!)

Bottom line, To Have and Have Another will make a welcome addition to a friend's cocktail book library, for a bar shower or housewarming gift (esp. if accompanied by a bottle of something that featured prominently in Hem's liquor cabinet), but it's also a great gift for any friend who is a fan of Hemingway's writing as they will have an even greater appreciation for the summaries and literary insights. I'd go a four and a half star rating here, and will be off to the library in search of a biography of Hemingway as this has piqued my interest in more than just the cocktails.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greene takes readers on a fantastic, if somewhat woozy, tour of cocktails and booze through the lens of Ernest Hemingway (or is a tour of Hemingway through the goggles of booze?). Arranged by drink and drawing from Hemingway's body of published work, personal correspondence, and his apparently insanely-detailed fishing logs, one learns a tremendous amount about Hemingway, cocktails, spirits, and the eras in which Hemingway lived. The cast of supporting players includes everyone from Charles Baker to Martha Gelhorn to F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the story of Hemingway and Scott's calamitous trip to Lyon is topped only by the tale of Ernest and Orson Welles angrily throwing chairs at each other. Topping it off is a collection of Hemingway-inspired cocktails by some fo the best modern craft bartenders in the business. Greene writes with an informed, conversational style that means you can be reading for hours before you realize it's maybe time to take a break and make yourself a drink.

[Carrie Honaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this after interviewing the author for an article and what a gem it is! I love all the stories, the depth of research, and the window into Hemingway and his influence. Greene's book not only gives the actual history of cocktails and bartenders, but also the color only a good storyteller can provide.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, if you’re a big fan of drinking and Ernest Hemingway. Fortunately, I am both, but probably not terribly interesting if you are not.

[Vernon Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slowly working my ways through the cocktails

[Jenny GB · Rating 2 out of 5]

I receive a free copy of this book through a Read It Forward giveaway. Thank you!

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I knew more about the life and writing of Hemingway. I've read a few Hemingway short stories, but that's the extent of my Hemingway experiences. The author of this book has an extensive (and impressive) knowledge of both cocktails and Hemingway. The book is sectioned off by different drinks enjoyed by Hemingway himself, by his characters, or both. There appears to be a great amount of meticulous research that went into verifying these drinks and references are provided for each one. Each cocktail is accompanied by a recipe (or multiple recipes), anecdotes from Hemingway's life, and retellings of instances when Hemingway's characters enjoy a drink and the circumstances surrounding that drink. Copious amounts of photos, advertisements, and bonus stories are folded in here, too. Unfortunately, my lack of knowledge hindered my understanding because the book is organized by cocktails, not chronologically. Many real and fictional people are mentioned many times over and it all kind of blurred together for me. I think someone who knows a lot about Hemingway and cocktails is going to love this book, but it just wasn't for me!