The Mary Pickford was created at the Hotel Nacional in Havana in the early 1920s, when Prohibition-era American tourists travelled to Cuba to drink. The drink was named for the actress Mary Pickford, then America's most famous silent film star, who visited Havana with husband Douglas Fairbanks. The cocktail is one of the cleanest expressions of the rum-pineapple-cherry triangle, and remains a working classic.
Ingredients
- White rum 60ml
- Fresh pineapple juice 30ml
- Grenadine 10ml
- Maraschino liqueur 5ml
- Maraschino cherry to garnish
Method
- Add rum, pineapple, grenadine, and maraschino to a shaker over ice.
- Shake hard for 10 seconds.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry on a pick.
The grenadine question
The Mary Pickford depends entirely on real grenadine: pomegranate syrup, not the fluorescent-red corn-syrup-and-food-colouring "grenadine" sold at supermarkets.
Real grenadine (RM 50-90 per bottle): Liber & Co. Real Grenadine, Stirrings Pomegranate, or homemade. Available at Single & Available or specialty cocktail shops.
Homemade: equal parts pure pomegranate juice and sugar. Heat gently until sugar dissolves. Cool. Bottle. Refrigerated, keeps 3 weeks.
Avoid: Rose's Grenadine (the supermarket standard), Monin Grenadine. Both are corn syrup + colour with no actual pomegranate.
The maraschino liqueur question
Maraschino is a clear Italian liqueur made from marasca cherries, including the pits (which give it a slight almond character). Luxardo Maraschino is the reference brand (RM 180-220 in KL).
Just 5ml. The maraschino is a flavour accent, not a co-star. Pour too heavy and the drink becomes maraschino-forward.
The pineapple question
Fresh pineapple juice, hand-squeezed (or hand-strained from blended pineapple). Bottled pineapple juice destroys this drink; the canning process strips out the volatile aromatics.
In Malaysia: Sarawak pineapple or MD2 hybrid pineapple from the local wet market. Cut, blend briefly, strain through a fine sieve.
What it should taste like
Pink in colour. Fruity up front (pineapple + grenadine), with rum warmth in the middle, and a maraschino almond-cherry finish. The drink reads as a proper grown-up tiki drink without leaning fully tropical. The pineapple's natural foam from the shake creates a thin head on top.
Variations
Hotel Nacional Special: the Hotel Nacional's other invention. Adds fresh lime juice and apricot brandy to the Mary Pickford structure. Drier, more complex.
Mary Pickford with calamansi: swap grenadine for an unsweetened pomegranate molasses and add 10ml fresh calamansi juice for acid. Drier, less candied.
Aged Mary Pickford: use an aged rum (Plantation 3 Stars, Mount Gay Eclipse) instead of white. Richer, more autumn-coded.
The Prohibition context
The Mary Pickford is one of several famous Cuban cocktails (Daiquiri, Mojito, El Presidente, Hotel Nacional Special) that were invented during the 1919-1933 US Prohibition era. American tourists travelled to Cuba (and Mexico) for legal drinking, and Cuban hotel bars served them lavishly. The cocktails created during this period have outlived Prohibition by a century.
Related
Frequently asked questions
What glass is the Mary Pickford served in?
A chilled coupe, up, no ice, with a maraschino cherry on a pick. The drink is pink-coloured from the grenadine and looks best in a wide coupe. The natural foam from the pineapple juice sits on top in a thin head. A Nick & Nora also works.
Can I substitute the grenadine in a Mary Pickford?
You can but only with real grenadine (pomegranate syrup). The fluorescent-red corn-syrup product sold at supermarkets is not grenadine and will ruin the drink. Liber & Co. Real Grenadine, Stirrings Pomegranate, or homemade (pomegranate juice and sugar boiled equal parts) are the options. Pomegranate molasses is too dense; pomegranate juice without sugar is too thin.
How strong is the Mary Pickford?
Around 20 to 23 percent ABV in the glass after the shake. The 60ml of white rum is the alcohol load; the pineapple, grenadine, and maraschino add volume but no extra spirit. Built as a daytime or afternoon drink, lighter than a Negroni or a Manhattan. The fruit reads as sweet but the drink is structurally dry.
Where can I order a Mary Pickford in PJ or KL?
On request at Dissolved Solids in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya (43-1 Jalan SS20/11, Tue to Sun 15:00 to 01:00, WhatsApp +60 11-4008 7607) and at Soluble Solids in SS2, Petaling Jaya (50-1 Jalan SS2/24, Wed to Sun 18:00 to 01:00, WhatsApp +60 11-1682 8651). Both bars are in Tatler Asia Top 20 Bars 2025/26. We always have white rum, real grenadine, and fresh pineapple juice ready.
What food pairs with the Mary Pickford?
Cuban food obviously: ropa vieja, lechon asado, ham croquetas. More broadly: jerk chicken, tropical-leaning grilled fish, ceviche, salt-cured ham. For Malaysian context, ayam panggang madu (honey-grilled chicken) or roti john with sweet sauces. Avoid anything heavy or buttery; the drink is built to lift, not anchor.