This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.
A Shirley Temple is pretty, pink, and irresistibly fizzy. It turns any occasion into a celebration, and it’s the perfect beverage for every age.
Table of Contents
Shirley Temple Ingredients
- Grenadine: A deep red, pomegranate-flavored syrup. Some Midwestern taverns add maraschino cherry juice instead. It’s not traditional, but it tastes great and the kids never mind!
- Soda: Modern Shirley Temples are made with white soda such as Sprite or 7UP. For a more traditional approach, substitute ginger ale (you could add a splash of orange juice, too).
- Maraschino cherries: I keep bright red maraschino cherries packed in watery syrup on hand because they are inexpensive and kid-friendly. For an elevated Shirley Temple, look for Luxardo brand maraschino cherries packed in a thick marasca cherry juice (imported from Italy).
- Ice: A necessity for this fizzy cocktail!
How to make Shirley Temple
- Fill a glass with ice, then add about 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of grenadine. Top with white soda, then garnish with maraschino cherries.
How to Make Soda
If you want to make your own Sprite or 7UP-like soda, I love using my SodaStream E-Terra to do so! It comes with three different carbonation levels, so you can create the perfect amount of fizziness for your Shirley Temple. It’s my favorite soda maker, and you can get it on Target for $139.99.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: Makes 8 drinks.
- Roy Rogers: Substitute Coca-Cola for the Sprite.
- Cherry juice: It’s not the same as grenadine, but using the maraschino cherry juice from the jar tastes good too (and also makes a pink drink).
More ways to quench your thirst
Drink Recipes
Fruit Punch
Drink Recipes
Raspberry Lemonade Fizz
Drink Recipes
How to Make Lemonade
Drink Recipes
8 Infused Water Recipes
This kid-friendly cocktail is named after the 1930’s child star Shirley Temple. Legends say that she used to dine at my Hollywood restaurants with her parents, and bartenders made this alcohol-free mocktail so she had something to enjoy, too.
A Shirley Temple spiked with alcohol is called a Dirty Shirley Cocktail. Traditionally, Dirty Shirleys are spiked with vodka, a neutral spirit that doesn’t overwhelm the grenadine and lemon-lime soda flavor. For better or worse, you’ll hardly even notice the vodka is there!
Join Us
Shirley Temple Drink Recipe
Ingredients
- Ice
- 1 (12 ounce) bottle Grenadine (see note 1)
- 1 (2 Liter) bottle lemon-lime soda (see note 2)
- Maraschino cherries for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Fill a glass with ice. Add 1 ounce (2 tbsp) grenadine, then top with 8 ounces lemon-lime soda. Garnish with maraschino cherries if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Grenadine: A deep red, pomegranate-flavored syrup.
- Soda: Modern Shirley Temples are made with white soda such as Sprite or 7UP. For a more traditional approach, substitute ginger ale (you could add a splash of orange juice, too).
- Yield: Makes 8 drinks.
- Roy Rogers: Substitute Coca-Cola for the Sprite.
- Cherry juice: It’s not the same as grenadine, but using the maraschino cherry juice from the jar tastes good too (and also makes a pink drink).
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
trying to find out how to make a virgin shirly temple in a gallon pitcher
I took a stab at the math for this. I believe you would need 14 ounces of grenadine and 112 ounces (14 cups) of the lemon-lime soda. That would be 126 ounces of Shirley Temple mix (without ice or garnishes), 2 ounces shy of a gallon (128 ounces) but keeping the original ratios of 1 oz grenadine to 8 ounces of soda.
Short answer: pour 14 ounces grenadine in a gallon jug, top with 14 cups soda. BTW there are just over 8 cups soda in a 2L bottle, so youโd need 2 of the 2L bottles of soda for this plan. Serve ice and cherries on the side. I hope this helps! Thank you. – Meggan
When visiting my daughter in southern Michigan, I ordered my first Shirley Temple. I was amazed at how delicious it tasted, and it didn’t contain any alcohol at all, so it would be safe for anyone to drink it.
I’m afraid that now I’m hooked on Shirley temples, and I intend to buy the grenadine, and do the variations that I found online for it.
It’s become my very favorite drink.
How lovely, Christine! I’m so glad you loved them! – Meggan
It doesnโt say to mix but I think you probably should or add the grenadine on top? Or am I doing something wrong
Hi King Charles, when the lemon-lime soda is added after the grenadine, it mixes itself naturally. You can also stir if needed! Enjoy – Meggan
I saw this photo online,clicked the recipe, and started watering at the mouth when i found out how easy this is!! I immediatly started craving it and the second I went home I made it and LOVED it!!!!!!!!!! TYSM!!!
Thanks Leena! – Meggan