The shirley temple drink has long been lauded as a great beverage for all to enjoy. And since the recipe is already a virgin recipe, you can easily make this mocktail at home for your children and anyone else who wants a deliciously fruity mixed drink to enjoy sans alcohol.
The basic recipe for a shirley temple drink calls for a few simple ingredients – ginger soda, grenadine, and maraschino cherries. Today, the recipe we’re sharing with you draws inspiration from Mocktail.net’s shirley temple recipe.
To learn the exact steps you need to take to create this classic mocktail, keep reading. We’ll discuss the ingredients needed, any materials you’ll use in the process, and even fill you in on prep time. Stick around to the end to get answers to frequently asked questions about shirley temples. Let’s get into it!
How to Make Virgin Shirley Temple
When making a shirley temple at home, keep in mind that you won’t need a ton of ingredients or materials. Make sure that you have a glass to mix your drink in, as well as a long-handled mixing spoon and a straw. To cut your garnishes, you’ll need a knife and a cutting board.
You’ll need some kind of store-bought grenadine, unless you plan to make your own pomegranate juice syrup. And you’ll also want a jar of maraschino cherries, along with a ginger ale of your choice (caffeine or caffeine-free are both fine).
And if you really want to make your drink creative or aesthetically pleasing, you can add in the use of fruit slices or fresh herbs to garnish it with. Mint and basil are most commonly used with fruit mocktail recipes, and a fresh orange or lime slice makes a good topper to the rim of your glass.
Virgin Shirley Temple Mocktail
Course: DrinksCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy1
servings5
minutes0
minutes210
kcalCheck out this simple recipe for the classic virgin shirley temple drink that you can recreate at home!
Ingredients
1 jar 1 maraschino cherries
A spoon for your cherries
2 TBSP 2 grenadine
1 cup 1 ginger ale or lemon-lime soda
Fresh mint leaves
1 1 lime or orange
Cubed ice, as desired
Directions
- Pre-measure your ingredients according to the ingredient list and set them aside
- Add as much ice to the glass as you prefer (a little lower than the halfway mark is a good rule of thumb)
- Pour in the ginger ale or lemon-lime soda
- Add in the grenadine on top
- Spoon out as many maraschino cherries as you like onto the top of the drink
- Set the drink aside and slice a clean lime or orange on your cutting board
- Add a fruit slice to the rim of the glass for garnish
- Add a few sprigs of fresh mint leaves to the glass for garnish
- Finally, you can add in your straw and enjoy!
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Tips & Tricks
When making your shirley temple, there are a few steps you can take to make the drink more unique. There are also some things you can do to make the drink taste better and help you achieve a better final product.
Try Different Sodas
If you really want to make your shirley temple recipe as healthy as possible, then you can browse the soda aisle to find ginger ale alternatives. Lemon-lime sodas also suffice when it comes to this recipe, such as 7 Up, Sierra Mist, and Diet Sprite. You can look for the option that tastes the best to you while also prioritizing a low-calorie choice.
Line the Rim with Sugar
Just like you would do with salt on a margarita glass, try dipping your shirley temple glass in sugar before making it. All you need is a shallow bowl with water and a shallow bowl with sugar. Dip the rim of the glass in the water before dipping it in the sugar next. It adds a pretty touch to the drink.
Make Fruit Juice Ice Cubes
If you want to avoid watering down your drink when you add ice, try freezing fruit juice such as pomegranate juice in your ice cube tray ahead of time.
Don’t Stir
Your shirley temple will keep its beautiful color gradient, from the yellow ginger soda up to the deep red grenadine, if you don’t stir it.
FAQs
What does a shirley temple taste like?
To put it simply, a shirley temple tastes like a fruit-flavored soda with hints of cherry and lots of sweetness. Because of its ginger ale base, though, you also get the flavor of ginger root, which adds a bit of spice to the beverage.
Does a shirley temple have caffeine?
A shirley temple may or may not have caffeine in it, depending on the type of ginger ale used in the recipe. Because ginger ale is a soda, you’ll need to specifically buy caffeine-free ginger ale to ensure that your shirley temples are free from the stimulant.
What flavor is grenadine?
Grenadine is often described as having a sweet and fruity flavor. It’s a syrup that is primarily made with pomegranate juice, but these days it may also have a hint of cherry in its flavor. It’s a fairly concentrated liquid that gives mixed drinks their signature sweetness.
What is a good substitute for grenadine?
If you by chance cannot acquire grenadine for your shirley temple recipe, you can of course make an alternative at home.
Since grenadine is usually just pomegranate juice and sweetener, you can make your own syrup with pomegranate juice and sugar.
Otherwise, you might try to find a similar fruit syrup, pomegranate molasses, or simply use pomegranate or cherry juice.
Other Mocktails
Conclusion
Hopefully, our simple guide to creating a virgin shirley temple has given you all of the insight you need to make a beautiful and refreshing mocktail. The shirley temple drink is a classic one that never requires alcohol and can be easily made at home with a few simple ingredients – ginger ale, grenadine, and cherries.
