Holiday history, recipe, and Cuban protests two years later for Daiquiri Day and Captive Nations Week

Happy National Daiquiri Day! I'm opening today's observance with National Day Calendar's National Daiquiri Day | July 19.

Each year on July 19th, people across the United States fill their glasses with a rum-based cocktail and toast to National Daiquiri Day. So, raise your glass and join all of the others in this celebration!

#NationalDaiquiriDay
Daiquiri is a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are rum, citrus juice (typically lime), and sugar.

Since the video mentioned Ernest Hemingway, today's featured recipe is Hemingway Daiquiri | How to Drink.

On this episode of How to Drink, I’m partnering again with Luxardo and Anchor Distilling to bring you the Hemingway Daiquiri! This version is a classic alternative to the standard Daiquiri and my personal favorite way to prepare one, and the story goes that Ernest Hemingway had diabetes and he developed this recipe to be a less sweet version of his favorite drink. If you’re like me and love Hemingway then you should give this cocktail a try! Cheers!

That's not strictly true it turns out. The truth is that this drink was already on the menu at the Floridita bar in Havana Cuba where Hemingway was a regular where it was called Daiquiri #3. Hemingway was such a fan of the drink that it was eventually named after himself and a legend was born. Actually, it's also likely that it wasn't such an organic naming evolution, but rather that 'ol Papa Hemingway himself invented the whole diabetes story and named the drink after himself intentionally, he was of course a writer and renowned self promoter. I've read that the drink was also sometimes called a "Papa Doble" or "Papa Double" as he was known to order them "with twice as much rum and no sugar", which sounds likely. The daiquiri is of course a famous Cuban drink and there's no reason you shouldn't use Cuban rum here, in fact the original recipe calls for it. For me though, the Hemingway Daiquiri is particularly well suited to showing off a Rhum Agricole and that's my preferred configuration for this drink. If you prefer it with a Cuban, or a Peurto Rican, or really any rum at all feel free to make it that way, you really can't go wrong!

Hemingway Daiquiri Ingredients:
- .25 oz or 7 ml Luxardo Maraschino
- .25 oz or 7 ml Grapefruit Juice
- .75 oz or 21 ml Lime Juice
- 2 oz or 60 ml White Rhum Agricole
- Shake over Cracked Ice
- Pour in a Coupe
- Garnish with a Lime Wheel

I did not know that Hemingway was a diabetic, but that's in his Wikipedia entry, so I'll provisionally accept it as true. That means two things to me: I share something with a famous author and I learned something new, so it's a good day.

On the other hand, it's not a good day for a lot of Cubans, who protested the Cuban regime two years ago. WPLG examined their plight in Lawmakers show support for Cubans following 2-year anniversary of historic protests.

Tuesday marks two years since historic protests paralyzed the island of Cuba as hundreds took to the streets calling for change.

That was last Tuesday, which was National Mojito Day, not yesterday. I usually don't take serious looks at Cuba that day because it's also World Population Day. Priorities. Besides, today usually falls during Captive Nations Week, which gives double meaning to examining the island nation's issues today.

That's it for National Daiquiri Day and Captive Nations Week. Stay tuned for Moon Day as I finish my retrospective of Apollo missions 50 years later.

Cuban protests one year later for Daiquiri Day and Captive Nations Week

Happy National Daiquiri Day! I wrote that "I might return to Cuba today at the end of A recipe from Cuba for National Mojito Day. I'm following up on that by revisiting Protests in Cuba and Florida for National Daiquiri Day and Captive Nations Week 2021 and sharing Food, Medicine Shortages Remain In Cuba One Year After Massive Protests from NBC News.

July 11 marks one year since protests began in Cuba over food and medicine shortages, the biggest demonstrations the island had seen in over 50 years. NBC News' Ed Augustin reports on how the Cuban government reprimanded protesters and if any demands were met.

Food shortages pose a risk for governments. That relates to one of the possible answers to "What effects have global food prices, both high and low, had on food production outside of the U.S.?" in my worksheet for "Food, Inc." The movie shows food riots, including one that brought down a government. I pointed this out to my students yesterday when I lectured about population and why China instituted its one-child policy, which it rescinded in 2015. China didn't want its population to outstrip its ability to feed itself, which could lead to food shortages and instability.

NBC News had more on the anniversary and its aftermath in Protestors Remain In Prison One Year After Largest Cuban Protest In Decades.

One year after Cuba’s largest protests since Fidel Castro took control in 1959, many demonstrators still remain in prison for charges of sabotage, public disorder, and sedition. NBC News’ Morgan Radford reports on how the protests were a partial catalyst for the most recent wave of Cuban migration.

This is much more about the political and social situation than about the Cuban economy, facets of the protests and their aftermath that MSNBC explored in Today Marks One Year Since Historic Anti-Government Protests In Cuba.

One year ago, racial and sociopolitical injustices caused marginalized Cubans to take to the streets. The Cuban government continues to prosecute many who were involved with the protests.

José Díaz-Balart added a diversity dimension to the protests by having a guest on who explained the racial politics of Cuba and how that fed into the discontent. That was something NBC News didn't include in their reports.

Since this is a day about a drink that I'm using as an excuse to cover Cuba, I conclude with A delicious Daiquiri in 87 Seconds from Behind the Bar.

In a hurry for a delicious Lime Daiquiri recipe? Look no further than this video - our Make it Quick Daiquiri.

Once you're kicking back, sipping your icy cold daiquiri though, you might want to check out our Daiquiri Masterclass where we cover the history of this delicious cocktail, tips and tricks and even look at some famous variations.

Method:

60ml (2 oz) Bacardi Carta Blanca rum
20ml (2/3 oz) fresh lime juice
10ml (1/3 oz) cane sugar syrup
Lime zest
Lots of ice

Cut a small strip of lime zest off your lime, with as little pith as possible (you want the aromatic oils but not too much bitterness).

Squeeze your lime and add all the ingredients, including zest, to your shaker.

Shake hard and for a little longer than you think you should.

Strain in to ice cold coupe and serve!

That's it for Daiquiri Day. Stay tuned as I continue my series on the Apollo missions for Moon Day.

A recipe from Cuba for National Mojito Day

Happy National Mojito Day! Take it away, National Day Calendar!

Each year on July 11th, people across America raise a glass to mark National Mojito Day. The cocktail consists of white rum, sugar, lime juice, sparkling water, and mint.

I'm returning to the theme of the first celebration of the day on this blog by sharing a recipe video, Best Mojito Recipe - Cuban Mojito from Living Overseas TV on YouTube.

We went in search of the best mojito in the world and we found it. You are not going to find a mojito like this at a bar. It takes too long to make. However, we found a place that takes the time to make it right, and we will share the recipe with you in this video.

I met up with my long-time travel friend Freddie and we went to Havana Cuba and hit all the popular spots like La Bodeguita Del Medio where Ernest Hemingway was rumored to have discovered the Mojito. We were disappointed. Many places in Havana made a good mojito but it wasn’t until we discovered a little place at the end of a peninsula in the bay in Cienfuegos, that we discovered the secret to making a great mojito. If you don't think this is the best mojito recipe in the world, please let us know your mojito recipe in the comments below.

We hope this video helps you make an amazing mojito and if you visit Cuba, make sure to stop by Punta Gorda, Cienfuegos and tell them Jim and Freddie sent you.

¡Salud!

I might return to Cuba for National Daiquiri Day. In the meantime, stay tuned for an observance of World Population Day.

Vox asks 'Why is the Guantánamo Bay prison still open?'

It's been more than 20 years since 9/11, so other 20th anniversaries of events in the War on Terror have been happening as well. One of them was the 20th anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Vox observed the occasion this week by asking Why is the Guantánamo Bay prison still open?

Two decades of the world’s most notorious prison.
...
In 2002, the US opened a prison at its naval base in Guantánamo bay, Cuba. The 9/11 attacks had occurred just months before, and the US was capturing hundreds of men in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It wanted a place to hold and question them. So the Bush administration opened Guantánamo and claimed that it lay outside of US and international law.

The detainees didn’t have to be charged with a crime to be imprisoned and the US could hold them as long as they’d like. By 2003, there were nearly 700 men imprisoned in Guantánamo, but there was backlash from around the world. When Barack Obama took office in 2009, he pledged to close Guantánamo.

But politics quickly got in the way. He was able to decrease the population but faced legal challenges. Ultimately, no president has been able to close Guantánamo because once something is created outside the law, its impossible to bring it back inside the law.

As Dan Fried said, "Don't throw out the rule book in a fit of passion. You'll regret it...and we did."

That was the past. PBS NewsHour tried to ask about the future in As Guantanamo enters its third decade, what does the future look like for detainees?

Tuesday marked 20 years since the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba opened. Since Jan. 11, 2002, it’s been one of the most enduring symbols of the United States' war on terror. But it's also a symbol of government waste and mismanagement, and a legacy of torture. Amna Nawaz looks back at the facility's two decades, and what's to come, with Carol Rosenberg of The New York Time[s].

The answer is that some of them will get to go home, some may be convicted and imprisoned for the rest of their lives, which may end in execution, while others will be stuck in limbo, keeping the facility open because they're not considered prisoners of war and the political will is against interning them in the U.S. proper. If the U.S. had considered them prisoners of war, all but the war criminals would be released now that the U.S. has withdrawn from Afghanistan. But we're not and we're stuck with them as much as they're stuck with us. Phooey.

That prospect is enough to make me want to blog about the pandemic tomorrow. I have something planned, so stay tuned.

'The Last Ice' vs. 'Nature: Cuba's Wild Revolution' for Outstanding Nature Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards

I told my readers "The next installment in this series should be about National Geographic's 'The Last Ice' and the other nominees for Outstanding Nature Documentary. Stay tuned" at the end of 'Human Nature' vs. 'Connected' for Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards. Without any further ado, here are the nominations at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards for "The Last Ice" and its competitors.

Outstanding Nature Documentary

Jade Eyed Leopard (National Geographic Wild)

Jane Goodall: The Hope (National Geographic)


Nature (PBS) Cuba's Wild Revolution

NOVA (PBS)
Nature's Fear Factor

The Last Ice (National Geographic)

Now, The Last Ice | Trailer from National Geographic.

THE LAST ICE tells the story of the Inuit communities fighting to protect the disappearing Arctic that has been their home for centuries. From National Geographic Pristine Seas, THE LAST ICE, premieres on National Geographic Channel this October.

The matchup is between "The Last Ice" and "Nature: Cuba's Wild Revolution," each with three nominations. The spoiler would be National Geographic's "Jade Eyed Leopard" with two nominations. Both of the latter are competing in the next category, which is missing "The Last Ice."

Outstanding Sound

Great Performances (PBS)
Now Hear This: The Schubert Generation

Jade Eyed Leopard (National Geographic) Wild

Alchemy Immersive (Oculus TV)
Micro Monsters with David Attenborough

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (PBS)

Nature (PBS)
Cuba's Wild Revolution

Now the trailers for both of the multiple nominees, beginning with Official Preview | Cuba's Wild Revolution | NATURE | PBS.

Get a glimpse of Cuba’s spectacular wildlife and landscapes, left virtually untouched for 50 years.
...
In the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean, Cuba is an island teeming with exotic biodiversity: from coral reefs pulsating with life to five-foot-long Cuban rock iguanas. As international relations ease, what will become of this wildlife sanctuary?

Next, a special video from Great Plains Conservation | Jade Eyed Leopard Emmy Nomination.

Last week, our film Jade Eyed Leopard (made for National Geographic) was nominated for two Emmy Awards, and most notably, one Emmy was specifically allocated to Beverly for Best Sound. To record the sound around a leopard, one needs total silence. That can only be found a long way from engines and talking. So thank you again, Olare Motorogi Conservancy and every one of the guides operating in the area, who immediately silenced their guests, and engines, when Beverly hauled out her sound equipment. We could not have done this just a few miles south in the main reserve.

Spending time in these quiet places enriches the soul, allows you to ponder on all things, and here, in the Masai Mara at our camps, do that in style.

This is the first time I've seen a special promotional video by one of the nominees for a News & Documentary Emmy Award nomination. I like the idea, but I am not confident it will be enough to push it over its competition. I think music documentaries have the advantage and "Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool" also has a nomination for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary. Even if a nature documentary would win, I would bet on "Cuba's Wild Revolution" over "Jade Eyed Leopard," although I think this video might have swayed a few votes. I consider the wild card to be "Micro Monsters with David Attenborough," which has a second nomination for Outstanding Interactive Media: Documentary.

Follow over the jump for the two other categories in which "The Last Ice" is competing.

Protests in Cuba and Florida for National Daiquiri Day and Captive Nations Week 2021

Happy National Daiquiri Day! While I was thinking of exploring U.S.-Cuba relations, I have a more pressing story about the island nation's politics to share today. CBS News has the story in Cuban regime's crackdown raises questions over staying power of anti-government protests.

It's unclear how long mass anti-government protests in Cuba can survive now that the communist regime is cracking down on demonstrators. The Economist's Cuba correspondent Roseann Lake joins CBSN's Tanya Rivero with more on what sparked the historic display of civil unrest and where things may go from here.

"Cuba is the only country in the world that fights wealth instead of poverty." That's a take I hadn't heard before, even though it's been around a while; Le Monde diplomatique used "Most countries fight poverty: Cuba fights wealth" as the subtitle of an article four years ago. Still, it exposes the flaw in the Cuban government's approach to the country's economic policy. I lean left, but I think that a well-regulated capitalism is still the best way to fight poverty and allowing some wealth accumulation is an unavoidable part of it. As I wrote last month, "I think Americans should celebrate success no matter which of our citizens achieves it."

Not only are Cubans on the island protesting, Cuban-Americans on the mainland are demonstrating in support. WJXT (News4JAX) reported Families Protesting Communist Cuba in Jacksonville, Florida.

Protests for freedom in Cuba have been going on here locally for nearly a week and the latest was at Riverfront Plaza. The protests are not only because of COVID but also because people are suffering under the communist regime.

As I wrote about retail, the pandemic has been accelerating trends, not causing them. This includes dissatisfaction with the Cuban government and its handling of the economy.

Follow over the jump for a celebration of National Daiquiri Day, which inspired me to cover this story as well as another observance I think is appropriate, Captive Nations Week.

Cuba trade restrictions drive one to drink on National Daiquiri Day 2018

After the Vox video I included in The history of U.S.-Cuba relations drives one to drink on National Mojito Day 2018, I observed that things didn't turn out as well as Vox had hoped.

Vox posted that video in 2016 and relations have chilled since then.  I'll save that for part 2, which I'll post on National Daiquiri Day 2017.

It's National Daiquiri Day, a celebration of another Cuban drink, so it's also time for me to continue with an examination of U.S.-Cuba relations.

In November 2017, CBS Miami reported U.S. Tightens Restrictions On Cuba Travel, Business & Trade.

CBS Miami's Eliott Rodriguez reports on new changes to the U.S. business, travel and trade policies with Cuba.

Trump mostly reversed Obama's lifting of the trade and travel restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba.  While that was generally popular with Cuban-Americans in Florida, it did hurt some Americans.  KARK reported in June on their Senators' and Representatives' efforts to ease restrictions in Pro-Cuba Trade Lawmakers Hope to Open up Cuban Market to American Farmers.


Arkansas wasn't the only state involved.  The High Plains-Midwest Ag Journal quoted Senators from Kansas and Minnesota who also wanted to ease restrictions for agricultural imports.

“With an open market to Cuba, Kansas could top $55 million in additional sales. While we are renegotiating our trade deals, we have a $2 billion market untouched right under our nose. It is time to throw support behind this mutually beneficial economic opportunity. It is through leadership in Congress, and discussions like this roundtable that we will begin to make these lasting changes,” [Representative from Kansas Roger] Marshall said.
...
“I’m grateful to have participated in this important discussion. The time to begin renewing our relationship with our neighbors just 90 miles off the Florida coast is now. With American farmers suffering some of the lowest commodity prices we have ever seen, Congress has an opportunity to take action and make real change,” [Representative from Minnesota Tom] Emmer said.

“The Cuba Agricultural Exports Act, sponsored by Rep. Crawford, would lift financing restrictions imposed by the embargo on agriculture exports. The result would be relief for our farmers and a first step toward redefining the American-Cuban relationship. While my bill, the Cuba Trade Act, accomplishes the ultimate goal or lifting the embargo completely, passing Rep. Crawford’s bill can, and should, happen immediately.”

Unfortunately, as Politico reported, Senate farm bill stalled by Rubio's Cuba crusade.

The Florida Republican on Wednesday declared on Twitter that he’d block any new amendments to the farm bill unless the Senate votes to strike a provision that would allow USDA funding for foreign market development programs to be spent in Cuba — or until senators adopt his proposal to ban U.S. taxpayer dollars from being spent on businesses owned by the Cuban military.

In the end, the House and Senate passed different versions of the Farm Bill, so it's going to a conference between the two chambers to reach a compromise.*

Meanwhile, as the Miami Herald reported just yesterday, Miami Democrat says Cuba visit reinforced need to lift embargo.

David Richardson, a state representative who for the last six years has represented Miami Beach and Little Havana, spent roughly 36 hours in Cuba this week, returning to Miami on Tuesday night. He said his visit — focused on meetings with local business owners and members of the country’s gay community — reinforced his opinion that the trade embargo put in place after Fidel Castro’s revolution has been counterproductive.

“We need to lift the embargo,” Richardson told the Miami Herald. “I absolutely believe that the people in Cuba are being harmed right now because of this policy. We need to lift the embargo so that ordinary citizens can be empowered and through their empowerment they will change policy in Cuba. It’s ridiculous or nonsense for us to believe that a continuation of a failed policy that’s 60 years old is going to somehow change the minds of the Cuban regime.”

All of this is enough to drive one to drink.

On that note, follow over the jump for two daiquiri recipes from Tipsy Bartender.

The history of U.S.-Cuba relations drives one to drink on National Mojito Day 2018

Happy National Mojito Day!  Just as the pina colada is a Puerto Rican drink, the mojito is a Cuban drink.  To celebrate, not only am I passing along drink recipes from Tipsy Bartender, I'm sharing A brief history of America and Cuba from Vox to educate my readers as well as entertain them.

150 years of tension may be coming to an end.

The key word is "may."  Vox posted that video in 2016 and relations have chilled since then.  I'll save that for part 2, which I'll post on National Daiquiri Day 2017.  Stay tuned, but first please follow over the jump for mojito recipes from Tipsy Bartender.


I begin with an updated version of the recipe I used in last year's Tipsy Bartender recipes for National Mojito Day, the Classic Mojito.

Tipsy Bartender recipes for National Daiquiri Day 2017

Yesterday, I told my readers to "Stay tuned for National Daiquiri Day tomorrow.  Here's the description from National Day Calendar.

Each year on July 19, people across the United States fill their glasses with a rum-based cocktail and toast to National Daiquiri Day. So, raise your glass and join all of the others in this celebration!

Daiquiri is a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are rum, citrus juice (typically lime) and sugar.

Tasting of sunshine and beaches, it might be hard to believe the daiquiri was likely invented by men blasting away in the mines of a small community off the coast of Cuba.  Jennings Cox, an American engineer, supervised a mining operation located in a village named Daiquiri in 1898 during the Spanish-American War.  Every day after work Cox and his employees would gather at the Venus bar. Then one day Cox mixed up Bacardi, lime, sugar in a tall glass of ice. Naming the new beverage after the Daiquiri mines, the drink soon became a staple in Havana.  Eventually, shaved ice was used and sometimes lemons or both lemons and limes.  

In 1909, Admiral Lucius W. Johnson, a U.S. Navy medical officer, tried Cox’s drink and subsequently introduced it to the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C.  The popularity of the Daiquiri then increased over the next few decades.

The Daiquiri was one of the favorite drinks of writer Ernest Hemingway and President John F. Kennedy.

This drink is sometimes served frozen, combined and poured from a blender eliminating the need for manual pulverization.  Drinks such as the frozen Daiquiri are often commercially made in machines which produce a texture similar to a smoothie and come in a wide variety of flavors.  Another way to create a frozen Daiquiri is by using frozen limeade, which provides the required texture, sweetness and sourness all at one time.

As I did for Tipsy Bartender recipes for National Pina Colada Day and Tipsy Bartender recipes for National Mojito Day, I'm sharing three recipes from Tipsy Bartender to celebrate the booze holiday.  Follow over the jump for them.

Tipsy Bartender recipes for National Mojito Day

I concluded Tipsy Bartender recipes for National Pina Colada Day by telling my readers "Tomorrow is National Mojito Day."  Since I'm not through celebrating, here's the description of the holiday from National Day Calendar.

Each year on July 11th, people across America join together to mark National Mojito Day.

Known to be a favorite drink of author, Ernest Hemingway, the Mojito is a traditional Cuban highball consisting of white rum, sugar, lime juice, sparkling water and mint.

With a low alcohol content, this refreshing cocktail has found popularity in the summertime for its refreshing combination of sweetness, citrus and mint flavors.

Lime wedges and mint leaves garnish an ice filled glass of Mojito.

Although born in Cuba, the exact origin of the Mojito is under debate with theories with origins as early as 1586.

Once again, I'm sharing recipes from Tipsy Bartender to mark the occasion, beginning with their basic instructional video, How to make a Mojito.

The Mojito is classic cocktail that was born in Cuba. It's the perfect mixture of mint, lime, rum, simple syrup and soda water. It's super easy to make and extremely delicious. Enjoy!

Check out our other mojito recipes and subscribe so you don't miss the next one!

MOJITO
1/2 Lime
12 Mint Leaves
1oz Simple Syrup
11/2oz White Rum
Top with Soda Water

Follow over the jump for the two most recent mojito recipes from Tipsy Bartender.