by Pinky Gonzales

still from The Mender of Nets, 1912
Mary Pickford, Hollywood producer, philanthropist, Oscar-winning actress, imbiber, was born April 8, 1892 and we salute her! Apparently she was much better at the first three, but she got a cocktail named after her all the same. She did a lot of work helping struggling actors during the Depression years while making over a hundred films, eventually leading to an Honorary Oscar in 1976 – only one of eight women in Academy history to receive such. We also mentioned her in a recent Dig column.
Here are a few cocktails which with to toast her, bearing the names of her silent films Ramona (1910), and Rosita (1923):
THE RAMONA
This drink is credited to esteemed L.A. bartender Vincenzo Marianella, who works in the same town as the The Mary Pickford Foundation and Institute ( film education, scholarships, preservation.) Don’t know the story behind the drink’s name, but we found the recipe at TheLiquidMuse.com (thanks Natalie!)
2 oz of premium rum
3/4 oz Marie Brizard Apry
3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 bar-spoon Papaya Orange Habanero Marmalade
1 dash Gary Regan’s orange bitters
garnish: 1 jalapeno pepper
Shake ingredients, with ice, and fine strain it into a cocktail glass. Drop a thin slice of jalapeno into the drink. Take the rest of jalapeno and squeeze it over the drink to release the spicy oil into the cocktail.

dramatic moment in Rosita, 1923
ROSITA
The origin of this cocktail is unknown.
1 1/2 oz. silver tequila
1/2 oz. Campari
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
Stir with ice, strain into an iced filled Old Fashioned glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist.
MARY PICKFORD
Created for her by the legendary Prohibition-era barman from Havana, Eddie Woelke – also the creator of El Presidente cocktail. (Version courtesy of J.G.)
1.5 oz white rum
1 oz fresh pineapple juice
.25 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
.25 oz grenadine
Shake & strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Still from Poor Little Rich Girl, 1917 - Also the name of a great woman-owned vintage clothing store in Cambridge and Boston!
All images from the Mary Pickford Institute for Film Education http://www.marypickford.com/index.php/library/photo-gallery
Sorry, readers. The Weekly Dig companion piece will not appear until 4/15 – they printed a different piece this week.
[…] Paris, before finally coming to Havana, where he created many once-popular cocktails, including the Mary Pickford. By this account, Woelke created the drink at the Jockey Club, naming it for then president Gerardo […]
[…] United for the Preservation of Cocktails – Boston’s (whew, that’s a mouthful!) article on her. Digg This Post Tags: grenadine, Ladies United for the Preservation of Cocktails – […]
[…] https://lupecboston.com/2009/04/08/birthday-shout-out-to-mary-pickford/ […]