Shirley Temple Drink Recipe
By the QuiteRecipes team (Jamy & Kaïna) | Food Service Professional, Early Childhood Expert & Parents
Sip on the world's most famous mocktail! This classic Shirley Temple combines sweet grenadine syrup with crisp ginger ale or lemon-lime soda.
The world's most famous mocktail: sweet grenadine poured over crisp ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, finished with a sparkle of ice. It is fizzy, fruity, and makes any hour feel like a celebration, the ideal pour when a cocktail is not the plan.
🥄 Ingredients
- 🫗 1 oz (30 ml) Grenadine syrup
- 🫗 7 oz (210 ml) Ginger Ale or Ginger beer (or Lemon-Lime Soda)
- 🫗 0.5 oz (15 ml) Fresh lime juice (optional, to balance sweetness)
- 🫗 Ice
- 🫗 Maraschino cherries (for garnish)
Nutrition Facts*
*Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary based on ingredients, brands and portion sizes. Values are provided per serving.
👨🍳 Instructions
Fill a classic highball glass with clean ice cubes.
Measure and pour 1 oz (30 ml) of red grenadine syrup directly over the ice.
Top up the glass with 7 oz (210 ml) of chilled ginger ale or lemon-lime soda.
Squeeze in a splash of fresh lime juice to bright up the traditional flavor profile.
Give it one brief stir to distribute the beautiful red tint evenly.
Drop two maraschino cherries on top and serve immediately.
🎥 Video Tutorial
Shirley Temple Drink Recipe
Video credit: embedded from YouTube. All rights belong to the original creator, who allows sharing on other websites.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- ✕
Confusing Grenadine with Cherry Juice: Grenadine is actually made from pomegranate juice, not cherry juice! Using the syrup from the maraschino cherry jar instead of real grenadine makes the drink taste flat and heavy.
🔄 Variations
Roy Rogers: Swap out the ginger ale for Coca-Cola or Pepsi mixed with grenadine to create another soda fountain classic.
Dirty Shirley: A highly popular adult version that incorporates 1.5 oz (45 ml) of vodka into the classic recipe.
🧊 Storage
- 📦
Consume immediately to enjoy the carbonation. The maraschino cherries can be kept indefinitely in their glass jar inside your refrigerator.
💡 Chef Tips
Ginger Ale vs. Sprite: The original Hollywood recipe uses ginger ale, which provides a lovely, warm spicy backbone. Modern restaurants often use Sprite or 7Up, which makes it much sweeter. Try both to see which you prefer!
Don't Skip the Lime: Authentic grenadine is quite sweet. Adding a tiny squeeze of fresh lime juice introduces acidity that balances out the sugars perfectly.
🔗 Related Recipes
About the Authors
This recipe and guide was developed, tested, and approved in our home kitchen and daily life. Jamy is a retired Food Service District Manager and Early Childhood Program Manager who spent his career overseeing multi-site restaurant operations, large-scale culinary production, and daycare menu management. Kaïna brings the ultimate real-world test: making sure it brings ease and joy to our kids on a busy weeknight.
Read more about our professional background and philosophy →