Shirley Temple

The grenadine decides everything

The Shirley Temple was invented in the 1930s for a child who could not drink what the adults had. It survived because the structure works: sweet red syrup, a spicy mixer, a squeeze of citrus. Almost all of its quality sits in one bottle, and real grenadine is pomegranate, tart and faintly astringent.

Measures in ml and oz

The lime is not decoration: without it the drink is sugar and bubbles alone.

Technique: build it, then let the syrup fall

Fill the glass with cubes, not crushed ice, because crushed ice dilutes this drink inside three minutes. Add the lime, then the ginger ale and soda, and trickle the grenadine down the inside wall: denser than the mixers, it sinks and leaves a red base fading to clear.

Body and bite without alcohol

Ginger ale carries the drink: real ginger gives a heat at the back of the throat that reads like strength, so look for a bottle with visible sediment. Two dashes of alcohol-free aromatic bitters add the bitter edge that stops the grenadine dominating.

Mistakes worth avoiding

• Grenadine by eye. Two glugs is double the measure and the drink turns to syrup.
• Cherries packed in spirit syrup. Some cocktail cherries are preserved in liqueur.
• Warm ginger ale. It foams over and goes flat at once.

Variations with a name

• Roy Rogers — cola instead of ginger ale: darker and more vanilla.
• Shirley Temple Black — the adult version, with vodka; the name is the giveaway.
• Sparkling Temple — alcohol-free sparkling white grape juice replaces the soda.

Shirley Temple FAQ

What is actually in a Shirley Temple?

Grenadine, ginger ale, a squeeze of lime and a cherry, over ice. Many bars add lemon-lime soda; two parts ginger ale to one keeps the ginger readable.

Does grenadine contain alcohol?

No, it is a pomegranate syrup. The only alcohol would come from a cherry preserved in liqueur, so check the jar for a certified 0,0 % pour.

Is a Shirley Temple the same as a Roy Rogers?

Siblings. A Roy Rogers uses cola instead of ginger ale, so it tastes darker and sweeter; the Shirley Temple is lighter and spicier.