Mary Pickford
Serves 1 · 5 minutes · Chilled coupe
Last updated 24 October 2026
The Mary Pickford is a Prohibition-era Cuban cocktail of white rum, pineapple juice, maraschino liqueur and a little grenadine, shaken and served straight up. The maraschino is a cherry liqueur with its own alcohol content, not a spoonful of syrup from a jar of cocktail cherries.
Ingredients
- — 45ml white rum (40% ABV for the units calculation)
- — 45ml fresh pineapple juice
- — 7.5ml Luxardo Maraschino liqueur (32% ABV; check your bottle)
- — 5ml grenadine
- — Ice cubes
- — A maraschino cherry, to garnish
Method
- Chill a coupe and measure the rum, pineapple juice, maraschino liqueur and grenadine into a shaker.
- Fill with ice, seal securely and shake hard for 10–15 seconds until the shaker feels cold.
- Double-strain through the shaker strainer and a fine sieve into the chilled coupe, catching the pineapple foam and pulp.
- Garnish with the cherry and serve immediately, without ice in the glass.
Why it works
Pineapple supplies fruit and acidity, maraschino adds a dry cherry-almond note, and grenadine gives colour and a little sweetness. The liqueur is a small but alcoholic measure, which is why the units count it alongside the rum. We make Dilay; the spiced option is an optional first-party variation, not a claim about the classic's identity.
The classic vs the spiced version
The IBA specifies 45ml white rum, 45ml fresh pineapple juice, 7.5ml maraschino liqueur and 5ml grenadine, shaken and strained. We keep those proportions exactly. Replace the 45ml white rum with 45ml Dilay only for a clearly identified spiced variation: cardamom and ginger sit behind the pineapple and cherry rather than reproducing the white-rum classic.
Tips for getting it right
- — Maraschino liqueur is a clear, distilled cherry liqueur at 32% ABV in the cited Luxardo bottling. It is not interchangeable with cherry syrup, and its alcohol is counted in the units below.
- — The grenadine is a small 5ml measure for colour and gentle sweetness. Increasing it makes the drink sweeter and redder, not more authentic.
- — Fresh pineapple juice foams heavily when shaken. Leave room in the shaker and double-strain for a smooth surface.
- — Adjust the next serving in small grenadine or liqueur steps if your pineapple is very sweet or very sharp. Keep the rum measure fixed rather than correcting balance with extra alcohol.
Related serves
For a short rum-and-lime classic, make a Daiquiri
For pineapple with coconut, try a Piña Colada
Choose a white rum in our Daiquiri white-rum comparison
Frequently asked questions
Is maraschino liqueur the same as cherry syrup?
No. It is a clear distilled cherry liqueur — 32% ABV in the cited Luxardo bottling — with a dry, nutty cherry character. Syrup from a jar of cocktail cherries is a different, non-alcoholic product.
Is a Mary Pickford shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The pineapple juice needs shaking to combine and chill properly; the drink is then strained into a chilled glass without ice.
How many units are in a Mary Pickford?
At the stated strengths, 45ml rum at 40% and 7.5ml maraschino at 32% give 2.04 UK units. Check both bottle labels; stronger rum raises the figure.
Can I use spiced rum?
Yes as a labelled variation. Substitute the same 45ml measure; the pineapple, maraschino and grenadine stay unchanged.
Try Dilay 1949 Panjabi Spiced Rum in this recipe.
BUY DILAY 1949 PANJABI SPICED RUMRecipe references
Our method and spiced adaptations are described separately from the referenced classic specifications.
Approx. 2.04 UK units per serving from the measured alcoholic ingredients. 2.04 UK units per serving at the stated strengths: 45ml rum at 40% plus 7.5ml maraschino liqueur at 32%. Check actual bottle labels; ice dilution does not remove alcohol.
Please drink responsibly. 18+. Visit drinkaware.co.uk for the facts.