This Shirley Temple Drink is always a big hit! Easy to make and the perfect party drink for kids and adults all year round.
Shirley Temple Drink
Who’s Shirley Temple and why does she have a drink?
If you don’t know who Shirley Temple is, then you might be wondering about the name of this drink. Shirley Temple is a child actress from the 1930s. I grew up watching her old movies with her bouncing curls singing “On the Good Ship Lollypop”. Now, I’m happy to say the love for Shirley goes on as my oldest daughter loves her classic musical movies.
This drink is so much fun and couldn’t be easier to make. There are a few variations that I’ll talk to you about, but you can really make it with just 2 ingredients!
In the image above, you’ll see that the drink to the left is pinker, while the drink on the right has a little bit of a dark tint. The pinker drink on the left is made with lemon-lime soda while the drink on the right is made with ginger ale. Both are common combinations, and sometimes the drink even combines the two sodas.
Shirley Temple Variations:
Sodas: A Shirley Temple can be made with one or both of the following sodas. Gingerale is commonly used, but so is lemon-lime soda while it is not uncommon to combine the two sodas with equal amounts.
Grenadine Substitutions: The red in the drink is classically grenadine (the classic ingredient of this drink) but if that is nowhere around, you can substitute maraschino cherry juice. Both are extremely sweet and work well in this drink.
Adding Citrus: Another variation is adding orange juice to this mocktail. This is a delicious variation and I highly recommend it. If you want to add orange juice just add a splash or two to give this drink a nice tang. Adjust it to your liking. Some people also use lime juice, lemon juice, or pineapple juice as a fun citrus or tangy addition to this drink
Roy Rogers Drink: Want to go a totally different direction? Use coca-cola instead of the clear sodas and it becomes a Roy Rogers Drink
Garnishes for Shirley Temple
The classic garnish is a maraschino cherry on top, but a lime or orange wedge is also a fun garnish. Of course, a sprig of mint would be delicious and fun, as well
Do Shirley Temple Drinks have alcohol?
No. The classic Shirley Temple does not have alcohol which makes this drink very kid-friendly. For the adults in the room, if you want to add alcohol – you can add a shot glass full (1.5 oz.) to 2 oz. of vodka to your Shirley Temple making it a Dirty Shirley Temple
What is Grenadine Syrup?
Grenadine is a commonly used syrup by bartenders in bars. It is made from pomegranates and is very sweet pomegranate syrup. It adds a pop of pink or red color to drinks for a fun cocktail or mocktail
A Good Substitute for Grenadine
Making Homemade Grenadine: You can mix 2 parts of simple syrup with 1 part of pomegranate juice. In a pinch, just use the juice from a jar of maraschino cherries as a substitute for grenadine
What is a Simple Syrup?
Simple syrup is basically equal parts of sugar and water.
How do you Make Simple Syrup?
In a saucepan, mix 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water over medium heat. Heat the mixture while continually stirring it until sugar is dissolved. Let the mixture completely cool off and store it covered in the refrigerator for up to one month
Tips and Tricks for making a Shirley Temple Drink:
- Really pack the cup with lots of ice
- Find grenadine in any grocery store that has a liquor aisle or at your local liquor store. (There is no alcohol in grenadine – It’s just a sweet syrup)
- Use lemon-lime soda like 7-Up, Sprite, or a generic form, or use Gingerale – You can also make a combination of both. I prefer the ginger ale because the lemon-lime is a little sweeter and combined with the sweet syrup it’s almost too sweet for me. My kids, however, love the lemon-lime soda
- Maraschino Cherry juice can be substituted for grenadine
- You can also easily adjust the size of the drink by using an easy ratio of 1.5 oz. (a full shot glass) to “about” every 12 oz. of soda
Are you ready to make this recipe for Shirley Temple? Let’s make sure you have everything you’ll need:
Ingredients…
- Lemon-Lime Soda or Ginger Ale (or both)
- Grenadine Syrup
- Ice
- Garnish: Maraschino Cherry with the stem on and optional lime wedges
Helpful Equipment that you might want
- Shot glass for measuring the syrup (1/5 oz. = 3 Tablespoons)
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How do you make a Classic Shirley Temple Drink?
(grab the handy printable for this Shirley Temple Recipe below with the full instructions)
*Note – (everyone has their version of the classic – remember the different variations I talked about above)
- pack your cup full of ice
- pour in the Grenadine Syrup
- Pour the soda over the top of that
- Gently stir
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PrintShirley Temple Drink {Easy to Make}
Easy to make Shirley Temple Drink that is always a big hit.
- Prep Time: 1 minute
- Cook Time: none
- Total Time: 31 minute
- Yield: 1 (16 oz.) serving 1x
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz. (3 Tbsp.) of Grenadine Syrup
- 12 oz. of lemon-lime soda or ginger ale
- ice
Instructions
- Pack a 16 oz. a cup full of ice
- Add 1 shot glass full (or 3 Tbsp.) of Grenadine syrup over the ice
- Pour soda
- Gently stir
- Serve with a garnish of maraschino cherry
Notes
optional additions:
splash of orange juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice, or lime juice
optional garnishes:
lime wedge, a sprig of mint
Soda variations:
all lemon-lime soda, all ginger ale, or a mixture of the 2
