A Dirty Shirley is an alcoholic version of everyone's favorite mocktail, a Shirley Temple. Made with grenadine, lemon-lime soda, and vodka, this delightful cocktail is sweet and refreshing!
A Shirley Temple is an iconic beverage of the 1970s. I remember enjoying these fizzy, red drinks as a child when I would accompany my parents to parties.
Today, I'm sharing an adult version of this classic mocktail called the Dirty Shirley which is as sweet as the original non-alcoholic version, but with a grown-up edge.
What Is A Shirley Temple?
A Shirley Temple is a sweet drink made with lemon-lime soda or ginger ale, grenadine, and garnished with maraschino cherries.
The drink was named after the actress, Shirley Temple and it is rumored that the drink was created in the 1930s by a bartender at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu, where the famous child actress often visited with her family.
Why This Recipe Works
- Few ingredients needed: A Dirty Shirley is easy to make and requires just 3 ingredients, not including the optional garnish of cherries.
- A perfect year-round cocktail: This cocktail is fun and refreshing. It's perfect for summer but also makes a great cocktail for the holidays because of its bright, red color.
- Doubles well: The ingredients can be scaled up to serve more.
Ingredients In A Dirty Shirley
A Dirty Shirley is a fun, adult version of a Shirley Temple. It's made with the same ingredients as the original drink but with a splash of vodka.
Ingredient Notes
- Vodka: Use plain vodka in this recipe.
- Grenadine: Grenadine is a red non-alcoholic syrup with a sweet, tart flavor commonly used in cocktails and mocktails.
- Lemon-lime soda: Clear soda like Sprite or 7UP is commonly used. You can also use ginger ale instead. Feel free to use a no-sugar version, if desired.
How To Make A Dirty Shirley
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Add vodka to a tall glass.
- Pour in the grenadine.
- Top with plenty of ice.
- Add the lemon-lime soda and stir to combine.
- Garnish with cherries (optional).
Expert Tips
- Stir the ingredients together gently before drinking.
- Any lemon-lime soda will do for this recipe, such as Sprite, 7UP, Fresca, or Sierra Mist.
- Adjust the amount of grenadine to taste. The grenadine adds sweetness, fruitiness, and tartness.
Variations
- Use ginger ale instead of lemon-lime soda for a slightly different flavor.
- Add fresh lemon juice for a more tart Dirty Shirley cocktail.
- Replace the lemon-lime soda with sparkling water for a less sweet cocktail.
- Use dark rum instead of vodka to make a Shirley Temple Black cocktail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Apparently, everyone's talking about a spiked Shirley Temple these days. In fact, the hashtag, #dirtyshirley seems to be trending at more than 12 million views on TikTok.
This drink is best served in a tall glass like a highball glass. We also love using tall mason jars.
To lower the calories in this cocktail, use diet lemon-lime soda or swap out the soda for seltzer or sparkling water.
More Single Serving Cocktails
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this Dirty Shirley Temple recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Vodka: Pasta alla Vodka
- Grenadine: Tequila Sunrise
If you’ve tried this Dirty Shirley drink or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Dirty Shirley
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Video
Equipment
- Tall glass
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1 ounce grenadine
- Ice
- 4 ounces lemon-lime soda
- Optional: maraschino cherries, lime slice
Instructions
- Add vodka to a tall glass.
- Pour in the grenadine.
- Top with plenty of ice.
- Add the lemon-lime soda and stir to combine.
- Garnish with cherries and a slice of lime (optional).
Notes
- Stir the ingredients together gently before drinking.
- Any lemon-lime soda will do for this recipe, such as Sprite, 7UP, Fresca, or Sierra Mist.
- Adjust the amount of grenadine to taste. The grenadine adds sweetness, fruitiness, and tartness.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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