Experience Awesome Hospitality at Hemingway Bar in Prague

Ernest Hemingway has bars named after him all over the world. You can’t visit a city in Europe where the famous writer seemingly didn’t write the great novel on that very bar stool. I challenge you to google the words “Hemingway Bar” and see if one pops up in your city. Chances are, it will. These watering holes range from pricey joints like in The Ritz in Paris, where drinks can cost upwards of $30 or dive bars run by college students where all your drinks will cost $30. Lucky for us, the Hemingway Bar in Prague is a real gem! While the drinks don’t cost a fortune, the atmosphere looks like they would. It’s a great place to escape your troubles for a few hours and imagine yourself a great writer, waiting to be struck by genius!

Locations & Hours

The Hemingway Bar in Prague can be found down the quiet cobblestone side street, Karoliny Světlé below an unassuming door front. It’s open every day of the week at 5 pm (except Mondays when it opens at 7 pm) and closes between 1, and 2 am.

The Experience

Stepping inside, the first thing you’ll notice is how dark it is. A sparingly few warm lights on the ceiling guide your way, reflecting off the rows of booze bottles behind the bar, like a liqueur library. A few tables throughout the bar are lit with candles, which allow you to barely make out the other patron’s faces. Pictures of Hemingway decorate the walls along with images of patrons from times gone by. 

While there are various tables inside, sitting at the bar is the best place to be. Not only does it give you the chance to chat, but it also lets you watch the bartenders do their stuff. Study them as they effortlessly grab bottles from the bar without even looking at the label. They move like dances around the bar, concocting boozy potions in elegant glasses. 

Cocktails

Ernest Hemingway was a great drinker, in addition to being a great writer. Perhaps the two go hand in hand? But being a seasoned lush, he knew how to make a good cocktail. So much so that he perfected many a recipe throughout his lifetime, and now these concoctions are even named after him. The most famous being the “Hemingway Daiquiri” which is the most popular drink in here. The Hemingway Daiquiri consists of fresh lime, pink grapefruit juice, a dash of syrup, a maraschino cherry, and a 13-year-old-rum. Shockingly, this only cost $10 USD! Other house specialties are the Gin Fizz and their famous Old Fashioned. The best part of their cocktail menu is all the drinks are both imaginative, expertly executed and rooted in history.

I was genuinely shocked by the prices here! Just by the gorgeous appearance of this place, you’d think the drinks would cost a fortune! But they didn’t. It was so much fun getting to try out all different fancy cocktails. I usually would never indulge in fear it would bankrupt me! The bartenders were so cheery, and I loved asking them for suggestions or recommendations. By the end of the night, I felt like we were best friends.

Absinthe

Here in Prague, one of the most popular drinks to try is absinthe, and the Hemingway Bar has an extensive selection to choose from! Absinthe is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from botanicals, including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium (otherwise known as Wormwood). The liqueur is then mixed with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. These herbs are what give the absinthe that iconic green hue.

To drink this beverage properly, you’ll need an Absinthe Fountain. Hemingways has dozens of original glass Absinthe Fountains which are beautiful works of art and heightens the drinking experience. The fountains are essentially a decanter containing the proper mixture of absinthe and ice-cold water. The fountains have multiple spigots that slowly (and hands-free) drip the mix down, over a silver slotted spoon with a sugar cube on top of your glass. The slow drip over the sugar cube allows the flavours to “blossom” in ways they could not if they were poured straight over the sugar all at once. The spoons and glasses are entirely different and little historical treasures which make drinking absinthe a real experience.

Is absinthe safe

“Is absinthe safe?” you might ask. In films, like Moulin Rouge, absinthe is often portrayed as a dangerous hallucinogenic drug. This was thought to be accurate due to the chemical compound thujone present in the spirit in trace amounts. This led to it being banned in the United States and Europe at the start of the 1900s. But in realizing it is no more dangerous than ordinary spirits. However, due to its high alcohol content, it just might get you drunk much much quicker, so drink in moderation!

While absinthe is seen as a very touristy thing to drink in Prague, Hemingways specializes in exceptional absinthe. They carry hundreds of varieties and even have synthesized replicas of historic recipes. The bartenders here are kind and generous with their time to help first-timers properly experience how to drink absinthe. In other bars, drinking absinthe might single you out as a tourist, and you’re more likely to get ripped off. Hemingways understands the draw, and instead of seeing this as a negative, they really try to provide you with the best experience possible.

Cigars

Hemingway was also famously a cigar lover. The bar offers up an array of cigars for you to enjoy along with your drink. We ordered a Cuban, and the bartender expertly cut and lit it for us. After lighting the cigar, he passed us a beautiful vintage ash-tray to get the soot off the bar. It did feel like stepping back in time, the heady smell of tobacco in the air, and ice rattling in thick glass tumblers. 

The bar’s ventilation is as old as it looks, so the smoke hangs in the air. If you’re sensitive to this, you might want to either give this place a miss of just be quick about your time inside. There is a small non-smoking section on the half level. Still, it’s not separated by any walls, so there will always be some carryover.

Hemingways is the perfect place to spend a relaxed evening after wandering this magical city. It felt like the perfect blend of rustic charm but with fantastic hospitality. Don’t miss it!

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