Mary Pickford

by ,

Mary Pickford

I love a cocktail that has a good story behind it, and as a working bartender, let’s be honest- - that sort of thing is what keeps you coming back to my bar! Last week I was in Westerville, Ohio, the town in which Prohibition began- - in a brand new restaurant that sits in a building that was once an iconic theatre. 8 State Bistro has been open for 2 weeks- - and has kept much of the decor of the original “State Theatre”. Their cocktail menu reflects this- - - with classics such as the French 75 (the cocktail Humphrey Bogart drank in Casablanca), the Vesper (James Bond’s choice in Casino Royale), and the Mary Pickford- -which is the inspiration for this article.

Mary Pickford was a Canadian-American silent film actress and was coined “America’s Sweetheart ”. She was born on April 8, 1882, and was one of the first great movie starlets in Hollywood. She was married to Douglas Fairbanks, and together with Charlie Chaplin, they founded United Artists. She was the first star to place her hands and feet in the cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (April, 1927), and she was also given a star on the walk of fame on Hollywood Boulevard in February of 1960.

Pickford made over a dozen silent films, and today there is a foundation in her name, that helps young actors find their full potential in the industry.

During Prohibition, it was quite common for American bartenders to flee to other countries to continue practicing their craft. One of these places was Havana, and during the early 1920’s Fairbanks and Pickford traveled to Cuba to film a movie. There are two different people who are credited with creating the cocktail named after Mary. One is Eddie Woelke, an American bartender who moved to Havana, and the other is famed Havana bartender Fred Kauffman. Woelke worked at the Jockey Bar, and Kauffman worked at the Hotel Seville. Regardless of who was the first to shake up this delicious concoction, it has stood the test of time and is still popular today, almost 100 years later. The “Mary Pickford” was written about in the Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930 as well as “Gourmet” in 1943. Recipes differ, of course, depending on the publication and the story, but the ingredients stay the same. Light Cuban rum, fresh pineapple juice, Luxardo liqueur and grenadine.

The Mary Pickford is a crisp, boozy, balanced cocktail that will go down light and refreshing, but will surprise you when you stand up. It is similar to some of the classic rum/pineapple cocktails (piña colada, painkiller), but it has the addition of cherry liqueur instead of coconut which in my opinion makes it much more complex.

In the classic 1934 book, “Boothby’s World Drinks and How To Mix Them”, the Mary Pickford recipe is listed as:

Bacardi- ½ Jigger

Grenadine- 1 Spoon

Pineapple - ½ Jigger

Maraschino- 1 Dash

Shake well with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass, add bits of pineapple and serve.

In my travels I have seen ever y possible recipe ratio of this cocktail - - - so this is my tried and true best. I encourage you to buy the ingredients and play around with it until you find YOUR best recipe.

MARY PICKFORD

2 ounces white rum (Mount Gay Silver, Caña Brava or Brugal are a couple of my favorites)

2 ounces fresh Pineapple Juice

.25 ounces Luxardo Liqueur

Shake ingredients well with ice, strain into martini or coupe glass. Drizzle with .25 ounce of homemade grenadine, and garnish with a brandied or luxardo cherry.

Homemade Grenadine:

4 cups Pomegranate Juice

1 cup White Sugar

1 cup Water

Peel of one Orange

10 drops Orange Flower Water

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan on medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, take out orange peel and cool.

-Article written by Cris Dehlavi, The Muse of Mixology-

My name is Cris Dehlavi and I am a native of Arizona, but have lived in Columbus, Ohio for the past 13 years with my daughter, Desi. I have been running the bar program at “M”, of the Cameron Mitchell Restaurant group since 2005. I am currently the President of Columbus USBG as well as a consultant for bars and restaurants nationally. In 2013, I attended the rigorous B.A.R. 5 Day Spirits Certification and have been recognized as one of the top mixologists in the U.S.A. I am one of the senior managers of the prestigious apprentice program at Tales of the Cocktail and work as a mentor to many bar tenders around Ohio. My contribution to Got Rum ? magazine will include everything from reviews of national cocktail events, articles on mixology, garnish trends, recipes and techniques, to interviews with some of the leading bartenders in the industry.