Hollywood Glam for Your Retro Bar Cart: The Mary Pickford Cocktail
Sip Like a Starlet with This 1920s Cocktail Classic
Step back into the golden age of cinema with this iconic cocktail inspired by Mary Pickford.
Whether you're mixing drinks for cocktail hour or simply dressing up your bar cart, this recipe brings a touch of vintage sparkle to your glass.
And don’t miss vintage printable below because every drink deserves to be served with style!
Index
History of the Cocktail
Starlet Spotlight: Mary Pickford
Step by Step Recipe
Vintage-Inspired Shopping
Retro Bar Cart Styling Tips
Closing Words
The Mary Pickford cocktail started in the 1920s, right in the heart of the Prohibition era and the golden age of Hollywood.
It was reportedly created in Havana, Cuba by either bartender Eddie Woelke or Fred Kaufmann at the Hotel Nacional.
Named after silent film darling Mary Pickford, known as “America’s Sweetheart,” the cocktail mirrors her persona: sweet, stylish, and delightfully unexpected.
This vintage cocktail recipe is Made with white rum, pineapple juice, grenadine, and maraschino cherry liqueur, it was a glamorous drink fit for the flapper crowd and A-list parties.
2. Starlet Spotlight: Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford, born Gladys Louise Smith in Toronto, Canada, in 1892, became one of the most iconic faces of early cinema.
Known as “America’s Sweetheart,” she captured audiences’ hearts with her golden curls, expressive eyes, and girl-next-door charm.
She rose to fame during the silent film era, starring in classics like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and Pollyanna.
Beyond her acting, Pickford was a pioneering force behind the scenes. She co-founded United Artists in 1919 alongside Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, and her then husband, Douglas Fairbanks.
This gave her and other artists creative control in a rapidly growing Hollywood system.
By the 1920s, Mary Pickford was one of the most powerful women in film, both in front of and behind the camera.
Though she eventually stepped away from acting with the arrival of talkies, her legacy lives on as a true trailblazer who helped shape the Golden Age of Hollywood.
“I left the screen because I didn’t want what happened to Chaplin to happen to me. The little girl grew up.”
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3. Step by Step Recipe
🍸 The Mary Pickford Cocktail Recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 cocktail
Category: Cocktail
Circa: 1920s Hollywood
✨ Ingredients
1.5 oz white rum
1.5 oz pineapple juice - fresh if possible
¼ oz grenadine
¼ oz maraschino cherry liqueur
Splash of maraschino cherry juice
Ice
Maraschino cherry, for garnish
🥄 Instructions
Step 1: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
Step 2: Add the white rum, pineapple juice, grenadine, maraschino juice and maraschino liqueur.
Step 3: Shake well until the outside of the shaker feels cold (about 10-15 seconds).
Step 4: Strain the cocktail into a chilled coupe glass.
Step 5: Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Step 6: Serve immediately and sip like a starlet!
For a slightly sweater version top off with even more fresh pineapple juice - this is the way I drink it.
Pairs beautifully with vintage appetizers like shrimp cocktail or deviled eggs.
🍸 Quick Facts About the Coupe Glass:
Shape: Rounded, shallow bowl on a stem
Size: Most commonly holds 5–6 oz
Best For:
Classic cocktails like the Daiquiri, Sidecar, French 75, The Mary Pickford Cocktail
Sparkling wine (before flutes became the norm)
Retro Charm: Hugely popular in the 1930s–1950s think Gatsby parties and Mad Men martinis
4. Vintage-Inspired Shopping
Available on Amazon: The Lyra Coupe Glass Set of 4, 7oz Handblown Premium Crystal Classic Cocktail Glasses
5. Retro Bar Cart Styling Tips
Available on Amazon:
VEVOR Bar Cart Gold, 3 Tiers Home Bar Serving Cart
Start with the Right Foundation
Choose a bar cart with mid-century lines think brass, chrome, lucite, or wood with wheels.
No bar cart? A vintage tea cart, tiered side table, or record cabinet works just as well!
Mix in Vintage Glassware
Mismatched sets add charm look for atomic starbursts, tiki designs, or mod florals at thrift stores.
Keep Glassware right side up because soap fumes, which are liable to be retained after washing, may ruin a drink’s flavor.
Display Retro Bar Tools
Think: a metal jigger, glass stir sticks, a chrome ice bucket, or a vintage cocktail shaker (especially with fun graphics or Bakelite handles) or a retro style vintage cheat sheet.
Do not allow shakerful to stand too long, drinks go flot or diliusion happens.
Add a Pop of Kitsch
Use mini letter boards, old bar matchbooks, or vintage drink stirrers in a glass jar, Retro coasters.
Include a Touch of Old Hollywood
Frame a black-and-white photo of Mary Pickford or a Hollywood-inspired image, and display it on or beside your bar cart using a bamboo cookbook holder.
Layer Heights & Textures
Use trays or risers to group items and add dimension.
A retro bar towel, mini doilies, or cocktail napkins can soften the space.
TYPE OF SUGAR
Always use fine granulated sugar to avoid caking and to assure thorough dilution. Do not use confectioners’ sugar.
Use sugar cubes for vintage-style entertaining.
SERVE DRINKS ICE-COLD
Some hosts pre-cool both liquor and glassware. It’s a good practice.
6. Closing
Whether you’re sipping under the stars or setting up a bar cart worthy of the silver screen, I know you will love this Mary Pickford 1920s cocktail a timeless favorite and one of mine too!
Stay tuned for more Hollywood inspired recipes in this glamorous series!
Loving this series? Don’t miss this one!
✨ The Shirley Temple Drink: One Icon, Two Recipes ✨From a Hollywood 1930’s mocktail to a grown-up twist🍒
Looking for more pineapple cocktails? Check out this fun fiery tiki inspired cocktail
