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The Shirley Temple is the original mocktail. Sweet, pink and fizzy, and garnished with two juicy cherries, it’s great for little ones who want to join in with the adults on special occasions, or for the young-at heart with a sweet tooth and a sense of fun. The Shirley Temple is a playful, happy drink, and looks great served in a chunky Collins glass with brightly-coloured paper straws.
The drink is named after 1930s box-office favourite, child superstar Shirley Temple, famous for feel-good family films like Bright Eyes and Curly Top. Legend has it that the young Temple was dining at a restaurant with her family one day, and was envious of her parents’ exotic-looking drinks. The barman, or so the story goes, promptly invented an alcohol-free cocktail for his famous guest, and named it in her honour.
There are at least three different restaurants claiming to be the place where it all began, and nobody really knows how much of the story is true, but it does neatly capture the unique-selling point of the Shirley Temple. The 1930s marked the end of prohibition and the beginning of The Golden Age of Hollywood, and soon glamorous cocktails named after equally glamorous movie stars were appearing in bars and at dinner parties all over the country. Naturally, children wanted in on the fun, and who better to give your child-friendly cocktail her name than their very own silver-screen icon?
There are several versions of the Shirley Temple, but broadly-speaking, the original cocktail combines ginger ale with a dash of grenadine, for a sweet, blush-pink drink, warmed by the delicious spiciness of ginger. Modern Shirley Temples replace the ginger ale with lemon-lime soda and orange juice for a fresh, zesty flavour and a warm, sunset-pink colour. Pick your favourite recipe from the ones below, or if you prefer your cocktails with real alcohol, try our recipe for a grown-up Dirty Shirley cocktail, or check out our ultimate guide to cocktails for more inspiration.
To make an original Shirley Temple cocktail, you will need:
- A bottle of ginger ale
- The juice of one lime
- A dash of grenadine
- Maraschino cherries, to garnish.
- Plenty of ice.
Fill a classic Collins glass with ice cubes and pour over the lime juice and ginger ale.
Add the grenadine and allow to sink to the bottom of the glass. Stir carefully, being careful not to upset the bubbles.
Place two maraschino cherries on a skewer and lay across the top of the glass.
Serve with a straw.
To make a modern Shirley Temple cocktail, you will need:
- A bottle of lemon-lime soda
- Freshly-squeezed orange juice
- A dash of grenadine
- Maraschino cherries, to garnish.
- Plenty of ice.
Fill a Collins glass with ice cubes and pour over equal amounts of lemon-lime soda and orange juice.
Add the grenadine and allow to sink to the bottom of the glass. Stir carefully, being careful not to upset the bubbles.
Place two maraschino cherries on a skewer and lay across the top of the glass.
Serve with a straw.
To make a Dirty Shirley cocktail you will need:
- 2 ½ oz top shelf vodka
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- ¼ oz grenadine syrup
- 3 oz ginger beer
- Maraschino cherries or brandy-soaked cherries to garnish
- Plenty of ice.
Put some over the ice into a cocktail shaker, add the vodka, lime juice and grenadine, and shake well.
Add the ginger beer and roll the shaker once, then strain into a Collins glass filled with more ice.
Place two of your cherries of choice on a skewer and lay across the top of the glass.
