The Dirty Shirley Is the Latest Buzz-Worthy Cocktail — Everything You Need to Know
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The Dirty Shirley is the latest drink craze that has TikTok buzzing (and it's users, buzzed).
The cocktail gained wild exposure when user Courtney Shae, who often shares bartending videos, posted a TikTok video in September of the mocktail-turned-cocktail. It's made up of all the staple ingredients of a classic Shirley Temple — sprite, grenadine and a signature maraschino cherry — but spiked with vodka. The post, which got over six million views, has sparked a viral trend across the platform.
Since then, the twist on a childhood favorite has popped up all over social media. The New York Times has even speculated that the Dirty Shirley will be the drink of the summer, while TikTok users have called it the new espresso martini.
The Dirty Shirley has evolved into different iterations as its gained online traction. Some TikTokers have added a squeeze of lime juice in their version and others have made it "skinny" by adding diet Sprite.
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I tried the buzzworthy cocktail and one thing's for sure — it's ultra sugary sweet. Using one standard shot of vodka, I added a couple ounces of grenadine to a glass filled with ice and poured in about a cup of sprite before adding a maraschino cherry.
Despite having a subtle vodka taste, grenadine is definitely the strongest flavor that shines through the Dirty Shirley. Its syrupy flavor dulls the Sprite carbonation, so to cut through the sugar, I added the juice of a lime wedge, which made all the difference in the "it" drink. While the Aperol Spritz is still my favorite summer drink, I'd order this one if I'm looking for something sweet and fun to mix things up with.
As the drink is still gaining popularity, it might be wise to order it just by its ingredients since some bartenders are not familiar with the name Dirty Shirley.
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While similar in name, the dirty soda is an entirely different, but still trendy beverage that's made waves on TikTok — thanks in part to Olivia Rodrigo. In December, the pop star posted an Instagram photo to her feed holding a cup from Swig, a soda shop that specializes in making dirty sodas.
Since then, the creamy, bubbly drink — which consists of cola mixed with creamer or half and half, flavored syrups, and lime juice — began trending across social media.
The first two seasons of Rodrigo's breakout show, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, were filmed in Utah, where the dirty soda has been wildly popular since the 2010s.
Flavors have evolved since the early craze of dirty sodas. The shop Rodrigo visited offers a long list of vibrant menu items, including Naughty & Nice, a blend of Dr. Pepper, English toffee and half and half, and more fruity flavors like the Beach Babe, which mixes Mountain Dew, raspberry, peach and vanilla cream.
