Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails – Boston

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