Mary Pickford Cocktail

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                                 Mary Pickford Cocktail

Happy New Year, Got Rum? Readers! 

For my first article of 2023 I wanted to do a throwback to one I wrote about in 2016. This unique, stunning rum cocktail has stood the test of time and has a fascinating back story.  

Mary Pickford was a Canadian-American silent film actress coined “America’s Sweetheart.” She was born on April 8,1882 and was one of Hollywood’s first great movie starlets.  She was married to Douglas Fairbanks, and together with D.W. Griffiths and Charlie Chaplin, they founded United Artists in 1919.   Mary was the first star to place her hands and feet on 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 1920s, Fairbanks and Pickford traveled to Cuba to film a movie. Two different people 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 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 almost 100 years later. The “Mary Pickford” was written about in the Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930 and “Gourmet” in 1943.  Recipes differ 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, balanced, yet spiritous cocktail. It has the classic pineapple-rum combo, but the Luxardo Maraschino liqueur adds layers of complexity. It is also really important to make your own grenadine vs. the store-bought stuff, and I have included that recipe below.  

Recipe from the classic 1934 book, “Boothby’s World Drinks and How To Mix Them”:

  • Bacardi- ½ Jigger
  • Grenadine- 1 Spoon
  • Pineapple - ½ Jigger
  • Maraschino- 1 Dash

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

As with most classic cocktail recipes, there are hundreds of variations in measurements if you look it up online or in books. This is how I make it; I find it to be the most balanced. Enjoy!

            MARY PICKFORD

  • 1.5 oz. White Rum 
  • 1.5 oz. Pineapple Juice
  • .25 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
  • .25 oz. Homemade Grenadine

Shake ingredients well with ice, and strain into a martini or coupe glass. Garnish with a brandied or Luxardo cherry.  

Homemade Grenadine:

  • 4 C. Pomegranate Juice
  • 1 C. White Sugar
  • 1 C. Water
  • The peel of one orange
  • Ten drops of orange flower water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat, stirring as the sugar dissolves. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, cool completely, remove the orange peel and refrigerate.