What does a Shirley Temple taste like?
A Shirley Temple tastes like sweet cherry soda: ginger ale or lemon-lime soda with grenadine, bright pink, fizzy and topped with a maraschino cherry.
Shirley Temple
sweet pink cherry soda
A Shirley Temple is ginger ale or lemon-lime soda with a splash of grenadine and a maraschino cherry on top. Grenadine is a bright red syrup that was originally made from pomegranate but is often just red, sweet and cherry-ish in practice. The result tastes like candy-red soda, sweet and bubbly, with a gentle ginger or citrus edge depending on the soda. It's the classic kids' drink at restaurants, and plenty of adults order it for the nostalgia. Craft bars sometimes make it with real pomegranate grenadine and fresh ginger ale.
Where you’ll see it
On kids' menus and mocktail lists everywhere, served over ice in a tall glass with one or more maraschino cherries. A Dirty Shirley adds vodka.
Order it if you want something sweet, fizzy and a little nostalgic.
Quick questions
- Does a Shirley Temple have alcohol?
- No. A Shirley Temple is alcohol-free. A Dirty Shirley is the boozy version, with vodka added.
- What is grenadine made of?
- Traditionally pomegranate juice and sugar. Many store brands use corn syrup, flavoring and red coloring, which is why they taste more like cherry.