Let’s begin this post by acknowledging that this darling cocktail is not one of my originals (in case you didn’t know). However, in the buzz surrounding Oscar weekend, I thought I’d bring out a classic. Do we need to start with who Mary Pickford is? Mary Pickford won the first best actress Oscar for a “talkie” in 1930. Considered “America’s Sweetheart”, this cocktail, created by Eddie Woelke, borders on the fun and fruity side.
In fact, it’s really just a Tiki drink in disguise. Seriously guys.
A lot of rum, some pineapple, a touch of grenadine… so far all of this works. Maraschino liquor? Sure, that can work too. Give it a grand garnish and you’ve got yourself an afternoon sipper while you throw rubber darts at Ryan Seacrest on tv.
2 oz. white rum, such as Caña Brava
1-1/2 oz. fresh pineapple juice
1/4 oz. grenadine, homemade preferred
barspoon maraschino liqueur, such as Maraska
pineapple wedge, lime wheel and cherry for garnish (and some edible gold stars if you got those hanging around too!)
In a shaker 2/3 filled with ice, add all ingredients and shake for 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
After one sip your mind goes straight to tropical. The grassy rum holds up next to the sweetness of the other ingredients while a tart pop rounds it out. Fresh pineapple juice is not as cloyingly sweet as out of the can, and here it’s just superior where you need that freshness to cut through the liqueurs. You only need just a small amount of maraschino, as a little goes a long way. Light and fruity, it’s a great starter drink for your afternoon.
Note: you may notice that this drink is not very pink like the other versions you might find. The reason being that maraschino syrup is not used, which is often dyed red. Maraska is clear in color, so your two coloring agents are the yellow from the pineapple juice and red from grenadine.
I love those star sparkles!
Michaels craft stores sells them!
sorry but all I could keep hearing was “talkie” after reading that part! hahahaha I literally couldnt stop. I thought for a second I was about to smell burnt toast.
Looks very pretty but without any citrus I can’t call this a Tiki drink. Tiki is different than merely tropical. Pineapple and rum do not Tiki make. It needs some sour and balance. I imagine this would be quite sweet even with fresh pineapple. I’ll look for some Cana Brava style white rum to give it a try however. Always enjoy the reading you!
I think I would argue that point with you and say there are definitely exceptions to that rule with tiki drinks. Chi Chis do not have citrus as do Castsways. However yes, the majority of them do. Here I get a very sharp tartness with the pineapple and my grenadine is not overly sweet but more earthy and savory ( from being homemade). So I guess sweetness will depend on your ingredients. I’ll make a note in case people don’t read the comments.