Mary Pickford
White rum, pineapple juice, grenadine and a dash of maraschino, shaken. A 1920s Havana drink named for the silent-film star — pink, fruity, and better than its sweetness suggests.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe.
Add the rum, pineapple juice, grenadine and maraschino to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12 seconds — the pineapple foams.
Double strain into the chilled coupe and garnish with a cherry.
A thoughtful finish
- Equal rum and pineapple is the 1920s recipe; the drink is a pineapple sour, so fresh juice matters.
- A quarter-ounce each of grenadine and maraschino is plenty; more of either and it turns to syrup.
- Shake hard for the pineapple foam; it is the drink's texture.
Common mistakes
- Artificial grenadine.
- Too much maraschino, which takes over.
- Sweetened carton pineapple juice.
A few good questions.
Who was Mary Pickford?
The biggest film star of the 1910s and 1920s — 'America's Sweetheart' — and a co-founder of United Artists. The drink was made for her visit to Havana.
Who invented it?
Either Eddie Woelke or Fred Kaufman, both bartending in Havana in the 1920s. Both are credited and neither is proven.
What does it taste like?
Pineapple and rum with pomegranate and a hint of almond and cherry — sweet, tropical, a little tart.
Can I make it with aged rum?
Yes, for a richer version. White rum is the Havana original.
Variations
- Hotel Nacional — Rum, pineapple, lime and apricot liqueur.
- Daiquiri — Rum, lime and sugar.
- Bacardi Cocktail — Rum, lime and grenadine.
- Jungle Bird — Rum, Campari and pineapple.
Where it comes from
c. 1920s · Havana, Cuba · Eddie Woelke or Fred Kaufman · Hotel Nacional / Hotel Sevilla
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Mary Pickford was made in Havana in the 1920s, during Prohibition, when the actress visited with Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin; it is credited either to Eddie Woelke, the American bartender at the Jockey Club and the Hotel Sevilla-Biltmore, or to Fred Kaufman, who tended bar at the Hotel Nacional. Basil Woon printed it in When It’s Cocktail Time in Cuba in 1928. It is rum, pineapple and grenadine with a dash of maraschino — the maraschino is what keeps it from being a punch — and it was one of the drinks that made Havana the bar of the Prohibition years.
Sources
- Basil Woon, When It's Cocktail Time in Cuba, 1928 (book)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
- Wayne Curtis, And a Bottle of Rum, 2006 (book)
Strength. About 1.13 US standard drinks at an estimated 15.5% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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