Everyone Seems To Be Drinking “Dirty Shirleys” All Of A Sudden — And After Trying It, I Can Absolutely See Why
It seems like everyone is talking about the Dirty Shirley cocktail — from the New York Times boldly asking if it’s the drink of the summer to more than 8 million people watching #dirtyshirley videos on TikTok. So, of course, I had to try it.
A regular Shirley Temple is a classic, non-alcoholic drink made of light soda or ginger ale, grenadine, and a maraschino cherry — no real fruit here! The drink wasn't a part of my childhood, but it was for many Americans.
The nostalgia and suburban charm of an adult, vodka-infused Shirley Temple is why the Dirty Shirley is having a moment, according to the New York Times.
One Dirty Shirley demo on TikTok has 6.4 million views. In other videos, the drink has been memed, mocked, riffed on and, in one case, dubbed “the new espresso martini,” which was the summer drink of 2021. https://t.co/0Pa9uzcDES
It's a very simple, easy drink to make. All you need is ice, vodka, grenadine, Sprite (or any lemon-lime soda), and a maraschino cherry on top — the best part!
And if you don't drink, you can make a regular non-alcoholic Shirley Temple with ginger ale, or tonic water, in place of vodka.
First, you start with an empty glass. A tall glass is best.
The New York Times recipe calls for a highball glass. I'm sure any glass will do.
Next, fill it to the top with ice. Cubed ice is preferred, but crushed ice works fine too.
Fill it with 2 ounces of vodka, whatever kind you've got. I just threw in a full shot glass. You can sub with tonic water if you don't drink.
As you can see, a shot glass amount was plenty enough.
It was 5 o'clock somewhere, and 10:37 a.m. in Los Angeles.
Then, you'll add 1 ounce of grenadine. I added in just over half of a shot glass. This stuff is sweet!
Now, you should have a drink with a beautiful red color.
Next, add Sprite. You can add 8 ounces if you want to measure it out, but I just filled mine to the top.
Adding the Sprite gives it a nice touch.
And finally, my favorite part: drop in a single, ready-to-mingle maraschino cherry.
And voila! You're done! That's the whole recipe. It was such an easy and fun drink to make. Plus, if you already have vodka, the other ingredients don't cost a lot at all.
So it's fun to make...but how does it taste?
The subtle carbonated citrus from the lemon-lime soda and the sweet, tart, and fruity taste of the red grenadine syrup arrived at the same time on my tongue. My eyes lit up. I instantly reached my verdict: The Dirty Shirley is delightful and dangerous. It's sweet, but not overpowering — I couldn't even detect the vodka! These are the kinds of cocktails that will leave you with a headache the morning after. But in the moment, it tasted refreshing, fun, and sweet. Y'all...I found my summer cocktail.
I've been told my opinions are like tequila and are better taken with several grains of salt, SO I made the drink for 10 of my coworkers. I asked each of them, "Do you agree this is the drink of the summer?" Pink meant yes, yellow meant no.
One coworker dubbed the Dirty Shirley a "soccer mom spritz" (a good thing) and another said it "could be workshopped." Tough crowd!
Some other comments were that the drink "embraces frivolity," that it brought them "back to drinking a Shirley Temple from Friendly's," and that the drink "should be served poolside," but the hangovers might be brutal.
There was an even split. Half were singing the Dirty Shirley's praises. The other half? Done with her. Was it generational? All the folks who voted against the drink were at least 30 years old...but of the five people who agreed the Dirty Shirley is the drink of the summer, two were Gen Z and three were millennials. So, this drink isn't just for younger folks — it's for folks who know how to have fun, wherever they may be.
This is a very biased survey. I know this because of my single year of AP statistics my senior year of high school. But I got more opinions than mine, so sip on that.
Since I'm the author, I'm going to lean on the scale. Y'all, whether you like it or not, the Dirty Shirley is arguably the drink of summer, or at least a drink of summer. She's fun, affordable, quick, unpretentious, and a gorgeous shade of red. You even get a cherry! Stop hating and start sipping.
It's a fun cocktail you can serve at any party or function. The presentation is cute, and if kids want to participate, there's the original non-alcoholic version — the Shirley Temple! The folklore behind the drink is that the famous child actress would order this drink so she could hang out with adult executives at the bar (yeah, weird on their part).
And if you're looking to remix the drink a bit, try it out with vanilla-infused vodka if you like ice cream floats! Or if you're sweet-conscious, use less grenadine, only a splash of Sprite, and top it off with soda water.
I used Smirnoff's Vanilla Twist vodka to test out the adjustment and it added a sweet richness to the drink. It reminded me of marshmallows!
The Sprite and the grenadine add the most sugar, so adjust those as you'd like if you're not into sweet drinks. Into vodka cranberries? Try out using cherry-flavored sparkling water and cutting out Sprite, then only using a splash of grenadine.
Here's the recipe to make a Dirty Shirley again!
Fill a highball glass with ice, add vodka (or tonic water if you prefer no alcohol), and grenadine. Then, you'll top it off with lemon-lime soda. Garnish with a cherry.
The more you make it, the faster you'll get at it. I made the one I'm drinking while writing this post in 73 seconds.
