ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH: THE ROSITA

We LUPEC ladies love agave spirits – and few things beat a good margarita.  Every once in a while, though, it’s nice to have your tequila strong and stirred.

The Rosita is a perfect solution.  Made with tequila, Campari, sweet and dry vermouth, it’s an aperitif reminiscent of the Negroni ideal for stimulating the appetite before a meal.  The origins of the drink are unknown.  We first heard about it through Gaz Regan who unearthed it in a 1988 edition of Old Mr. Boston.

We may not know the full story on the drink but we do know a bit about Mary Pickford.  She was a Hollywood producer, philanthropist, Oscar-winning actress, and imbiber born April 8, 1892.  Apparently she was much better at the first three, but she got a cocktail named after her all the same.  Pickford 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.

In 1923 Mary Pickford starred in a silent film called The Rosita.  Whether the cocktail is connected to this we know not.  But we like saluting her as we sip it.