Worlds collide! Media preservation AND booze! Two of my favorite things. I was really happy to get to merge my hobby of making cocktails with my love for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Moving Image Archive, a.k.a. MARMIA. MARMIA is a super cool org that preserves the cultural, social and political history of the region we call home through moving image material. Check out their website to learn more: https://marmia.org/

The Association of Moving Image Archivists conference was a great excuse to have lots of AV archivists over to MARMIA HQ at Impact Hub, Baltimore, for a few drinks. Recipes below!

Mary Pickford Rum Punch

The Mary Pickford is a prohibition era cocktail, first made for Ms. Pickford at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba on a trip she took to Havana with Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks. To scale up the recipe for the fundraiser, I made a coconut milk clarified punch from the original recipe.

Milk clarification is a traditional way of stripping astringencies from cocktails (a popular recipe was found in Ben Franklin’s correspondence). The milk curdles when it is steeped in the citrus and alcohol of the cocktail. The curdled milk solids are then strained out through a coffee filter. The resulting cocktail is clear, has a smooth finish, but doesn’t retain the milk flavor.

To make my version of the Mary Pickford combine the ingredients below (recipe is for 6 servings):

9 oz Brugal Blanco Supremo rum
3/4 oz Grenadine (homemade! combine equal parts pomegranate juice and cane sugar on low heat and stir till smooth)
1/4 oz Maraschino liqueur
9 oz Pineapple juice
2 oz Lime juice

Add the mixture to 6 oz of coconut milk (better to add the mixture to the milk and not the other way around), and stir. Let steep for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Strain through a coffee filter. I recommend using a pour over coffee brewer and filter, like a V60.

Once strained, add 4 oz of coconut water and 2 oz water. All done! Bottle, and store in the fridge.

Old Bay Shandy

Old Bay everything! When looking for an ingredient that would remind our guests of Baltimore, I didn’t have to look far. I was initially skeptical of how this seafood seasoning would work in a cocktail, but I was surprised when my first attempt turned out well. The saltiness of the Old Bay kind of reminds me of a ‘chelada but paired with citrus instead of hearty flavors.

3/4 oz Old Bay Honey Syrup
3/4 oz lemon juice
1 oz whiskey (we used Baltimore Spirits Company Epoch Straight Rye Whiskey)
8 oz beer (I recommend Natty Boh)

To make Old Bay Honey Syrup, combine 1 cup honey, 1 cup water, and 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning, on medium heat. Let syrup simmer, but not boil.

Vinegar Syndrome

Dreaded Vinegar Syndrome! Acetate film base degradation results in the inevitable degradation of film, resulting in shrinkage, embrittlement, and, most commonly, the strong odor of vinegar. To pay homage to this oft-discussed symptom of film decomposition, I made an apple cider vinegar shrub and paired it with local distillery Baltimore Spirits Co.’s lovely, grain-forward, Shot Tower Gin.

1/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz Dolin blanc vermouth
1/2 oz Spiced Cranberry Shrub
1 1/2 oz Baltimore Spirits Co. Shot Tower Gin
1 1/2 oz Club Soda

Combine all ingredients except the club soda in a cocktail shaker, shake with ice, strain into a glass with ice, then top with club soda.

To make Spiced Cranberry Shrub, combine 1 cup of cranberry juice, 2 cups of maple syrup, 3 cinnamon sticks, 1 star anise, and a pinch of whole cloves (careful with clove, a little goes a long way) in a pan on low heat. Stir till mixed thoroughly. Add 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Bottle and store (keeps for a long time).