Delicious Shirley Temple
The Sweet & Bubbly Classic You Need to Try!
A classic Shirley Temple is a nonalcoholic drink made with three simple ingredients: a splash of grenadine (pomegranate syrup), soda (typically ginger ale), and maraschino cherries (one is never enough; use at least two or three!). Modern cocktail versions include orange juice, giving its sweet and refreshing flavor a citrusy twist.
Clearly named after the actress, its exact origins and where it was first concocted are somewhat debatable. One of the stories is that in the 1930s, when Temple was a child star, dining in Hollywood either at Chasen’s or the Brown Derby, the waitstaff created a mixture of soda and grenadine for her on the spot, adding it as a child-friendly, nonalcoholic option to the bar menu. From there, the drink grew in popularity across the United States.
However sweet that story may be, in an NPR interview in 1986 with journalist Scott Simon, Temple made it clear she was not a fan of the drink:
“The saccharine sweet, icky drink? Yes, well… those were created in the probably middle 1930s by the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood, and I had nothing to do with it. But, all over the world, I am served that. People think it’s funny. I hate them. Too sweet!”
I won’t lie; this crushed my soul. My silver-screened-cinephile and mocktail-maven self wished she had loved it as much as I do… Oy, Shirley!
Shirley Temple Notes, Notes, and More Notes!
The soda way
The soda can be ginger ale or lemon-lime (like Sprite, Starry, or 7UP). There’s no wrong choice between the two, so stick with what you prefer, combine both (like I do in my recipe), or use sparkling water or club soda to tame the drink’s sweetness.
Grenadine
Grenadine is a nonalcoholic bar syrup commonly used as a cocktail ingredient, distinguished by its sweetness, mild flavor, and red color. Popular in mixed drinks, grenadine syrup is traditionally made from pomegranate juice, sugar, and water (with its name deriving from the French word “grenade,” meaning pomegranate from the Latin grānātum), but market-wise it is more commonly made from commercially produced natural or artificial flavors and substitute fruits such as blackcurrant, elderberry, raspberry, and gooseberry.
Maraschino cherries
Maraschinos originated from the Dalmatian marasca cherries. Crushed and preserved in their own liqueur after being pickled, they thus became known as “maraschino cherries.” Their popularity grew in the rest of Europe in the 19th century, but supplies in Dalmatia were limited, so they became a delicacy for royalty and the wealthy. Because of the scarcity of the marasca, other cherries came to be preserved in various ways and sold as maraschino.
Maraschinos were first introduced in the United States in the late 19th century and served in fine bars and restaurants. Since they were scarce and expensive, by the turn of the century, American producers experimented with other processes for preserving cherries, with flavors such as almond extract and substitute fruit like Royal Anne and Rainier cherry varieties.
Fancy or familiar – Craft the perfect Shirley Temple your way.
You can go as fancy as you like with your Shirley Temple—think original maraschino cherries, small-batch sodas, and premium ginger ale (like Boylan or Vernors) for a genuinely elevated sip. You can also opt for authentic pomegranate grenadine (like the Liber & Co. Real Grenadine) or even make your own for a richer, more complex flavor. But don’t worry if you’re working with the classics—good old store-bought grenadine and mainstream sodas still create a refreshingly delicious drink. Whether you’re going top-shelf or keeping it simple, the magic of a Shirley Temple is in its perfect balance of sweet, bubbly, and nostalgic fun.
One last cocktail thingy: the jigger!
A jigger is a typical bartending tool used instead of a measuring cup. It resembles an hourglass and helps bartenders avoid overpouring and achieve consistency when mixing drinks. Jiggers come in various sizes, so make sure you double-check measurements when following a cocktail recipe. Usually, the larger side of the jigger measures 1.5 ounces/44 ml, while the smaller side measures 0.75 ounces/22 ml. In bar lingo, the 1.5 ounces is a jigger shot, and the 0.75 ounces is a pony shot. The jigger I’m using for this recipe is standard-sized. Always fill jigger to the brim!
*images by Athina D. Pantazatou for Kicking Back the Pebbles
Shirley Temple Cocktail
Ingredients
If you're using a jigger (x1)
- 3 shots orange juice no pulp
- 1 ½ shots ginger ale Schweppes or other
- 1 ½ shots lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage Sprite or other
- ½ shot grenadine
- 2 maraschino cherries
If you're using measuring cups (x1)
- ½ cup orange juice (125 ml) no pulp
- ¼ cup ginger ale (60 ml) Schweppes or other
- ¼ cup lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage (60 ml) Sprite or other
- 1 tbsp & 1 tsp grenadine (20 ml)
- 2 maraschino cherries
If you're making a punch bowl (x12)
- 4 cups ice cubes
- 3 cups orange juice (750 ml, no pulp)
- 4 cups ginger ale (1000 ml/1 L)
- 4 cups lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage (1000 ml/1 L)
- ¾ cups grenadine (180 ml)
- 24 maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Fill a glass with ice
- Add orange juice
- Add ginger ale and/or lemon-lime soda
- Top it off with grenadine
- Give it a swirl
- Finish with the maraschino cherries
If you are having a party
- Mix all ingredients in a punch bowl
Notes
- 1 shot (a jigger shot) is 1.5 oz/44 ml
- ½ shot (a pony shot) is 0.75 oz/22 ml
- always fill jigger to the brim
- you can use any kind of lemon-lime-flavored soda you like (like Sprite, Starry, or 7UP)
- you can use only ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, or replace them both with sparkling water or club soda to cut the sweetness—make sure you sum the quantities to 3 shots for the jigger, ½ a measuring cup, and 8 cups/2 L for the punch bowl.
Κοκτέιλ Σίρλεϊ Τεμπλ
Ingredients
Μεζουρες jigger (για 1 κοκτειλ)
- 3 μεζούρες χυμό πορτοκάλι χωρίς πούλπα
- 1 ½ μεζούρα ginger ale
- 1 ½ μεζούρα αναψυκτικό με γεύση λεμόνι-λάιμ
- ½ μεζούρα γρεναδίνη
- 2 κερασάκια μαρασκίνο
Μεζουρες κουζινας (για 1 κοκτειλ)
- ½ φλιτζάνι χυμό πορτοκάλι (125 ml) χωρίς πούλπα
- ¼ φλιτζάνι ginger ale (60 ml)
- ¼ φλιτζάνι αναψυκτικό με γεύση λεμόνι-λάιμ (60 ml)
- 1 κουταλιά της σούπας & 1 κουταλάκι του γλυκού γρεναδίνη (20 ml)
- 2 κερασάκια μαρασκίνο
Party Punch (για 12 ατομα)
- 4 φλιτζάνια παγάκια
- 750 ml χυμό πορτοκάλι χωρίς πούλπα
- 1 λίτρο ginger ale
- 1 λίτρο αναψυκτικό με γεύση λεμόνι-λάιμ
- 180 ml γρεναδίνη
- 24 κερασάκια μαρασκίνο
Instructions
- Γεμίστε ένα ποτήρι με πάγο
- Προσθέστε τον χυμό πορτοκάλι
- Προσθέστε το ginger ale ή/και το αναψυκτικό λεμόνι-λάιμ
- Τελειώστε με τη γρεναδίνη
- Ανακατέψτε καλά και γαρνίρετε με τα μαρασκίνο
Για το punch
- Ανακατέψτε όλα τα υλικά σε ένα μεγάλο μπολ για punch
Notes
- σε αυτή τη συνταγή 1 μεζούρα jigger είναι 44 ml
- αντίστοιχα ½ μεζούρα jigger είναι 22 ml
- τις μεζούρες jigger τις γεμίζουμε μέχρι το χείλος!
- μπορείτε να χρησιμοποιήσετε μόνο αναψυκτικό με γεύση λεμόνι-λάιμ (Sprite, 7UP ή όποιο άλλο σας αρέσει) ή μόνο ginger ale (Schweppes ή άλλη μάρκα) αλλά αν δε θέλετε το Shirley Temple σας πολύ γλυκό, μπορείτε να τα αντικαταστήσετε με σκέτο ανθρακούχο νερό ή σόδα. Σε αυτή την περίπτωση η δοσολογία θα είναι 3 μεζούρες jigger ή ½ φλιτζάνι μέτρησης ή 2 λίτρα για το punch.
- αν θέλετε να ανεβάσετε λιγάκι το επίπεδο του κοκτέιλ σας μπορείτε να διαλέξετε αυθεντικά μαρασκίνο όπως αυτά της Luxardo, premium ginger ale σαν το Fever-Tree και το Le Tribute, και αληθινή γρεναδίνη ροδιού σαν της Ωδής ή της γαλλικής Monin και της ιταλικής Orsadrinks ODK.
This looks delicious girl! I will def include this on our Easter table!
Thank you, chica. <3