038 – Mary Pickford

Sydney Covid ‘lock-down’ exploration of the ‘Mary Pickford’ cocktail.

Lockdown has inspired me to explore this famous cocktail. Let’s take a look at the classic ‘Mary Pickford’ cocktail, and explore some of the cocktail’s history and construction. Not one of the best classics, but certainly a cocktail that set a path for pretty contemporary evolutions.

Make your own ‘mix-at-home’ Locktail, the ‘Mary Pickford’, one of cocktail history’s stepping-stones.

METHOD – Add 60ml Cuban Rum (Bacardí, Havana Club or similar – white or gold), 60ml of freshly squeezed and in season pineapple juice and a bar-spoon (5ml) of grenadine for colour into a shaker. Add a handful of ice and shake until cold (10-15 seconds). Strain into a chilled coupe, martini or cocktail glass and garnish with a cocktail cherry and optional pineapple slice or leaves. Despite the video below, I would suggest omitting the Luxardo Maraschino called for in later recipe variants.

HISTORICAL NOTES – The ‘Mary Pickford’ first appeared in print in Basil Woon’s 1928 publication, ‘When It’s Cocktail Time In Cuba’, calling for two-thirds pineapple juice, one-third Bacardi Rum and a dash of grenadine, named after the famous actress of the time ‘Mary Pickford’. One issue is that ‘Basil Woon’s’ works have had their accuracy challenged on many occasions, as he was paid to promote ‘Cuba’, and deliberately attract US travelers to the country due to Prohibition in the USA (1920-1933).

Most cocktail researchers, seem to agree that it was more likely New Yorker Eddie Woelke, or Englishman Fred Kaufman, both working in Cuba during Prohibition, who first concocted the drink that would come to be known as the Mary Pickford. Named for famous Canadian-American Actress Mary Pickford (1892–1979). It is unclear whether she was in Cuba at the time or not, but either way the cocktail was named in her honour.

The cocktail also appears in Harry Craddock’s 1930 ‘The Savoy Cocktail Book’, no surprises there, as Harry basically collected all of the signature 700-plus cocktails of the era in his definitive book. The original recipes did not included Maraschino, which was added somewhere along the cocktail’s journey.

THE OFFICIAL MIX – The ‘Mary Pickford’ is included in the International Bartender Association’s (IBA) ‘The Unforgettables’ official cocktail list, here. It calls for 45ml White Rum, 45ml fresh pineapple juice, 7.5ml Luxardo Maraschino, and 5ml of grenadine syrup, shaken and strained into a cocktail glass. No garnish.

TASTING NOTES – Although the ‘Mary Pickford’ is on the IBA ‘Unforgettables’ official list, you don’t see it around very often. It’s sad to say that it is very forgettable, and has been supplanted by many better cocktails, such as the ‘Cosmopolitan’ with similar colour and sweetness, even if the make-up is different. In original form, it is rum and pineapple with some sweetness and colour from the grenadine. With the addition of the Luxardo Maraschino, added later, the cocktail gets worse not better in my opinion. It doesn’t have the strength to carry Maraschino like an Aviation does, and the ‘cherry’ just clashes.

Despite the beautiful colour, it is an unimpressive cocktail, the lowest scoring so far of 38 ‘Lock-tail’ remixes and included for historical completeness and because of its impact on better, later mixes.

LOCKTAIL CHANGES – No changes, I have gone back to the original 1928 version with no Maraschino. It isn’t that the ‘Mary Pickford’ cocktail is a bad drink, it has just been replaced by so many better choices for the contemporary cocktail fan. I do not feel I can change this cocktail much, as the ‘base-plates’ for cocktail modification have already been established with later cocktails that we will explore. I think the ‘Mary Pickford’ will unfortunately be lost to time as it just doesn’t have the robust base that other classic cocktails that have stood the test of time do.

YOUR LOCKTAIL EXPERIENCE – If you’d rather taste than read, I am progressively building an ingredient list and other sourcing information on this site. I will re-use ingredients where I can (good for my budget too), so that the cost goes down overtime if you are ‘playing at home’.

Let me know what you think.

Cocktails you’d like reinvented.

Recipes you’ve tried and your ‘score’.

This is the eighth of the 1921-1930 (‘roaring twenties’) bracket of ‘Locktail’ remixes. Full list in the index.