Try These 5 Prohibition Era Rum Cocktails for a Taste of the Past

It might seem counterintuitive there are cocktail recipes from the prohibition era in America since alcohol was outlawed in the States from 1920 to 1933, but this was actually a notable time for mixology and gave rise to the iconic speakeasy culture. You don’t have to sneak around looking for a hidden bar to imbibe these cocktails anymore — unless you want to, of course.

Mary Pickford

This cocktail gets its name from a well-known superstar of the silent film era, Mary Pickford. The mythos of this drink is that Mary Pickford, her husband Douglas Fairbanks and her sometimes co-star Charlie Chaplin were in Havana, Cuba, when a bartender concocted this drink for her and named it in her honor. Whether this story is true or not is up for debate, but either way we are left with a fantastic drink in both name and taste. 

The drink is mainly rum and pineapple juice, with a splash of grenadine and maraschino liqueur giving it an alluring  pink color. 

Ingredients 

• 2 ounces of white rum  
• 2 ounces of pineapple juice
• 2 tsp grenadine
• 1 tsp Luxardo Maraschino liqueur 
• Garnish: cocktail cherry

Directions

Add rum, pineapple juice, grenadine and maraschino liqueur into a cocktail shaker. Shake well with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a cocktail cherry.

El Presidente

This rum cocktail, like the Mary Pickford, got its start in Havana and was popularized during prohibition. Many Americans traveled to Cuba to drink legally without fear of being seen publicly enjoying libations. As with many old cocktail recipes, the origins are hotly debated. The El Presidente cocktail either received its namesake after Presidente Mario Garcia Menocal, who governed Cuba from 1913-1921, or from an American bartender Eddie Woelke in Cuba, who named it in honor of  Presidente Gerardo Machado, who governed from 1925-1933. Whomever this cocktail is named after, it is still a popular drink to this day.

This cocktail is often compared to the Manhattan but rather than whiskey, Rum is the star of this cocktail.

Ingredients

• 1 ½  ounces gold rum (or substitute with white rum)
• ¾  ounce blanc vermouth
• ¾  ounce Triple Sec
• 1 dash grenadine
• Garnish: orange twist

Directions

Add the rum, vermouth, triple sec and grenadine into a mixing glass and stir with ice until chilled. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a twist of orange peel.

Chicago Fizz

Fizzes were a widely popular style of drink during prohibition, due to the soda water and eggs and the resulting foamy effervescent beverage, which softens the harsh illegal booze. The origins of this cocktail are mysterious, but it was first written about by bartender Albert S. Crockett’s in his 1935 book, “The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book,” which is actually a book of recipes from a hotel in New York, oddly enough, although the book does claim that this cocktail originates from the windy city rather than from The Waldorf Astoria. Dubious inception aside, this drink is a stunner made with dark rum and port wine. 

Ingredients

• 1 ounce dark rum
• 1 ounce ruby port 
• ½  ounce simple syrup
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 3-4 ounces soda water
• 1 egg white

Directions

Combine the rum, port, simple syrup, lemon juice and egg white into a shaker without ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds, then open the shaker, add ice and shake vigorously again for 30 seconds. Strain into a tall Collins glass without ice and pour soda water till the foam reaches just above the rim of the glass.

Hemingway Daiquiri

The Hemingway Daiquiri is a boozier, less sweet version of the famous daiquiri. Legend states that the famous author Earnest Hemingway stopped into the hotel El Floridita in Havana and saw that the bartender had made a row of daiquiris, Hemingway, unable to resist a libation, tasted one. Upon his first taste, he commented that the drink was good, but he would prefer it “without the sugar and double the rum.” The bartender then made a daiquiri to his specifications and created what is now known as the Hemingway Daiquiri.

Ingredients

•  2 ounces white rum
• ¾  ounce fresh lime juice
• ½ ounce maraschino liqueur
• ½ ounce fresh grapefruit juice
• Garnish: lime wheel

Directions

Add all of the ingredients except for the lime wheel into a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain in a chilled cocktail glass. Add a lime wheel for garnish.

The Bacardí Cocktail

The Bacardí cocktail, like many of the cocktails on this list, got its start in Cuba. The Bacardí brand was in its heyday during this era and further skyrocketed into popularity after the creation of this cocktail. This drink was first created in 1917, but its popularity rose significantly during prohibition in the Unites States. This cocktail is a derivative of the daiquiri, much like the Hemingway daiquiri, but it swaps the simple syrup used to make a classic daiquiri with one notable ingredient, grenadine. The addition of the grenadine adds a tart, fruity flavor and gives the cocktail a beautiful rosy hue.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces aged rum
• ¾  ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
• ¾  ounce grenadine 

Directions

Add all of the ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake until chilled, then strain into a chilled coupe glass.

Read Next:

Is Rum Sweet? Exploring the Myth of Rum’s Sugary Reputation

The 5 Go-to Rums for Bourbon Drinkers in 2023

The Best Fat Washes for Rum

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