The Dirty Shirley Temple is made with ginger ale, grenadine, maraschino cherries and vodka to turn a favorite childhood beverage into an adult one!
I remember as a child going out to eat with my family and on occasion, we were allowed to get soda! It was always a treat and my favorite drink to order was a shirley temple so this cocktail takes me back in time… but adds in some vodka because I am a grown up now. Okay, I am not going to lie- I make regular shirley temples all the time with my kids too! They just taste so delicious.
Dirty Shirley Temples
Here is what you need for a Dirty Shirley Temple:
- Vodka .Recommend a cherry flavored but regular is fine. We used Titos today.
- Grenadine
- Ginger ale (7 up can also work)
- Maraschino cherry
- Cherry Moonshine. This is optional to swap the vodka or you can use the cherries from the moonshine for a garnish to swap marashino cherries)
You can jazz up your Dirty Shirley Temples! Go with a cherry vodka to add more flavor and make a homemade grenadine from pomegranate juice. Homemade grenadine is awesome! Give it a try or just get a store bought grenadine. You can also grab some moonshine cherries to garnish just for a little extra punch. I thought about skipping the vodka and going with moonshine altogether but I’m not in my 20’s anymore and moonshine always has the last laugh with me. I can’t lay in bed with a hangover with kids running around. But hey, if you are on board with the moonshine- swap it with the vodka!
Garnish
To make the cherry garnish sticks, you just need toothpicks. Depending on the width of your glass, 2 toothpicks should work per garnish. Just thread the cherries through a toothpick, add a second toothpick to add more length and cherries if needed to fit on glass.
Dirty Shirley Temple
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
Description
The Dirty Shirley Temple is made with ginger ale, grenadine, maraschino cherries and vodka to turn a favorite childhood beverage into an adult one!
Ingredients
- 3 ounces vodka (cherry vodka recommended )
- 6 ounces ginger ale
- 1 Tablespoon grenadine
- maraschino cherry (garnish )
- moonshine cherries (optional )
Homemade Grenadine
- 2 cups pomegranate juice
- .5 cups sugar
- .5 lemon
Instructions
- If making homemade grenadine, put 2 cups pomegranate juice in sauce pan with .5 cups sugar and 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon. Let simmer for 10 minutes mixing often. Let cool.
- Grab a tall glass.
- Fill with ice.
- Pour a little grenadine in glass.
- Pour 3 ounces of cherry vodka into glass (this drink has a double shot).
- Fill glass with ginger ale.
- Put a straw in drink and give a little mix.
- Add some maraschino cherries to garnish.
- Enjoy!
- Category: drink
What was your favorite childhood drink? Have you ever had a shirley temple? Let me know in the comments below.
I love this recipe for a party! It would be easy to make as a punch. Plus every adult loves to feel like a kid again!
★★★★★
Exactly!
Made this for a girls night and it was a huge hit! Totally making for New Year’s! Thanks so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Glad everyone enjoyed!
We don’t drink but always like to have a couple special drinks we can make for our friends. These look like something they would enjoy. Even the guys who like their beer.
Yeah,, its a great go to. The kids have their regular Shirley temples and the adults can have the dirty version. Everyone is happy… even the guys without their beers.