I first came across the Greta Garbo in a post by Punch that I quickly bookmarked. The recipe, from Cafe La Trova in Miami, was a simple mix of rum, lime, sugar, and absinthe, and I have yet to try a drink that follows the formula of Daiquiri + something-else-delicious that doesn’t impress. Interestingly, though, every other version of the recipe that I could find also included a bit of maraschino liqueur. This might not sound like a big change, but if you’ve had maraschino liqueur before, you know that even 1/4 oz. can drastically alter a drink’s flavor. So naturally I had to try them both.
I can enthusiastically recommend both versions of this recipe, but they really are about as different as two drinks sharing 80% of their ingredients can be. Cafe La Trova’s version is simple but powerful. The absinthe gives it an anise-scented elegance, like a Daiquiri that slipped into Kiera Knightley’s green dress from Atonement. The use of granulated sugar instead of simple syrup keeps the drink fairly tart, and stops the absinthe from becoming too cloying. Sipping it, I found it hard to believe that the maraschino version could be anything but sickly sweet.
And yet, it works. Even made with a rich simple syrup, the second version of the drink was surprisingly balanced – if sweeter than its predecessor. The maraschino and anise blended together in an unexpected way, creating a floral and perfumey flavor that was pleasantly unique. It’s a Daiquiri wearing Blake Lively’s 2022 Met Gala dress. It’s a lot, but it works beautifully. I would make both these cocktails again, depending on my mood.
History of the Greta Garbo Cocktail
This is one of the first drinks in a while that has required me to roll up my sleeves and do some real digging for information. Punch indicated that the Greta Garbo was a Cuban cocktail, so I (virtually) flipped through the old Cuban cocktail books on EUVS to see if I could find it. And I did! In the 1930 Manuel Oficial de la Club de Cantineros de la Republica de Cuba (essentially, the Manual of the Cuban Bartenders’ Club). Bartending became an important profession in Cuba during American Prohibition, and the Club de Cantineros was founded in 1924 to essentially act as a union for its members. Luckily for us, they also kept records of their popular recipes. I’m not sure if this is the first time the Greta Garbo appeared in print, but it has to be close – Greta Garbo only started becoming really famous around 1928.
I assumed that the more common maraschino-laced version of the drink would prove to be the original, but it’s not. Under “Greta Garbo Cocktail,” the Manuel Oficial says only, “Igual al Daiquiri, con gotas de ajenjo” (“Same as the Daiquiri, with wormwood drops”). So the maraschino was added later.
But when? I can’t find much on the Greta Garbo between 1930 and 2011. There are a couple of other recipes that share the name. The prohibition-era Garbo Gargle is often mistaken for the Greta Garbo, but with brandy, vermouth, orange juice, grenadine, and creme de menthe, it couldn’t be more different – or sound more disgusting, honestly. One interesting variation comes from a 1930 cocktail book published in Garbo’s home country of Sweden, Two Hundred Selected Drinks by Knut W. Sundin. His Greta Garbo is remarkably similar to the Cuban cocktail, with rum, lime juice, and absinthe – but he adds Cointreau and grenadine. Perhaps those two ingredients morphed into the maraschino liqueur over time.
As always, if anyone has additional info on this cocktail’s history, please let me know!
Greta Garbo
Cafe La Trova version, Julio Cabrera – via Punch
2 oz. white rum
3 dashes (3/8 tsp.) absinthe
3/4 oz. lime juice
1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake with ice for 15 seconds. Strain into a 5 1/2 oz. coupe glass.
Difford’s Guide version
2 oz. white rum
1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur
1 tsp. absinthe
1 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. rich simple syrup (2:1 sugar:water)
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with star anise.