Virgin Shirley Temple

By Melissa Search Jump to Recipe

Made with fizzy soda, bright, sweet grenadine, and a cherry on top, the Virgin Shirley Temple is the most classic of the mocktails.

One sip of a Virgin Shirley Temple triggers nostalgia for me. I remember my cousins and I ordered countless glasses of the bright red drink at a family party ages ago. The bartender could not make them fast enough or add enough cherries for us, and most likely hated us. After all, we just loved this delicious drinkable candy, and ordering from the bar was so cool.

This must be how Shirley Temple felt ordering her namesake in Hollywood bars, right? Not really. Surprisingly, the famous actress stated she was not a fan of the drink in an interview. If you are not familiar with Shirley Temple, she was an adorable child star back in the 1930s. The story of the Shirley Temple drink is that the actress would attend star-studded events, where many others would enjoy cocktails and sip champagne. However, she was not of legal age to partake, so a bartender in either Hollywood or Maui created the Shirley Temple drink for her. But the origin is debatable.

The Virgin Shirley Temple is made with lemon-lime soda, like Sprite or 7 Up, and grenadine. So, you can tell by now that this “cocktail” does not contain alcohol. And just to clarify, we added virgin to the title so it is not confused with a Dirty Shirley or a Shirley Temple with vodka.

What is Grenadine?

Ready for the craziest fact ever about grenadine? It is not made from cherries or even cherry-flavored! WHAT? Yes, it is true. Grenadine was originally made from pomegranates and sugar, but today the sweet, red syrupy mix is made from high-fructose corn syrup, water, artificial flavors, and dye. Indeed grenadine is known as the star ingredient in a Virgin Shirley Temple, but is also used in many other cocktails. For example, the Tequila Sunrise and Bahama Mama, both of which contain alcohol, also require grenadine.

What glass and garnish to use?

Serve a Virgin Shirley Temple in a collins glass, which is a tall tumbler, and garnish with a cherry or two.

What can I use aside from lemon-lime soda?

A great substitute for lemon-lime soda is ginger ale. If you want few calories and less sugar you can also make your Shirley Temple with club soda.

Virgin Shirley Temple Variations

For other sweet cocktails that can easily be made into mocktails, check these out:

Maybe the most common cocktail to be made sans alcohol is the Virgin Piña Colada. With the tropical flavors of coconut and pineapple blended with ice, this delightful drink will mentally transport you to the beach. Containing just two ingredients, cream of coconut and pineapple juice, blended with ice, it is such a simple drink to make.

Another refreshing cocktail we can turn virgin is the refreshing Watermelon Mojito. This one takes a bit more work, but it is so worth it. We combine fresh mint, watermelon, and lime juice with sugar and club soda for a crisp party in your mouth. Pour over ice, garnish with a sprig of mint and a watermelon cube and enjoy!