Mary Pickford
The Mary Pickford is a moderately sweet prohibition-era cocktail named in honor of the Canadian-American actress (widely known as “America’s Sweetheart” during the silent film era). Predominately consisting of light rum and pineapple juice, this libation is enhanced with the subtle addition of grenadine and maraschino liqueur. Contrary to what one might think, maraschino (pronounced mare-uh-SKEE-no) liqueur is a clear liqueur distilled from Marasca cherries with a deep semi-sweet flavor that is also featured in cocktails such as the Last Word and Hemingway Daiquiri. If you find the flavor to be overpowering, I recommend cutting the maraschino liqueur with equal parts simple syrup in lieu of omitting it entirely — this adjustment will significantly reduce the intensity and make it significantly more approachable. This cocktail is shaken and served “up” in a chilled coupe cocktail glass, which allows for a consistent flavor until the very last sip. Unlike the majority of the cocktails featured on this site, the original recipe does not specify any garnish — I happen to like the aesthetic of a small pineapple leaf clipped to the rim of the glass. But don’t take my word for it, make one and try it yourself!
Mary Pickford
In your shaker, combine the grenadine, maraschino liqueur, pineapple juice, and light rum.
1 tsp of Grenadine
1 tsp of Maraschino Liqueur*
1.5 oz of Pineapple Juice
1.5 oz of Light Rum
Add ice to your shaker and shake until it develops a frost. Double-strain the contents (by pouring them from the shaker through a fine mesh strainer) into your chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a pineapple leaf.
TIP(S):
Chill your cocktail glassware — to extend the life of your Mary Pickford, place your coupe cocktail glass(es) in the freezer for at least 15 minutes for them to be sufficiently. For more immediate use, you can place ice water in your coupe cocktail glass during the preparation. In either instance, remove the glass from the freezer or discard ice water just before you are about to strain the cocktail from the mixing glass.
Cutting your maraschino liqueur — to adjust the presence of the maraschino liqueur, cut it in a 1:1 ratio with simple syrup.
