Shirley Temple

A two-ingredient mocktail of lemon-lime soda and grenadine over ice. Seven ounces of lemonade, one ounce of grenadine, ice in a highball glass. Drinks bright-citrus and pink-cherry, named for the child star who reportedly ordered the original at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

Shirley Temple 3

4.40 from 38 votes

Calories: 138kcal

Prep Time: 3

Total Time: 5

Ingredients

▢ 7 oz Lemonade
▢ 1 oz Grenadine Syrup

Instructions

▢
Pour Sprite over a few ice cubes in a highball glass. Add grenadine. and serve.

Estimated Nutrition:

Calories: 138kcal (7%)Carbohydrates: 36g (12%)Sugar: 34g (38%)

Punch

Where it came from

The Shirley Temple is one of the oldest and most recognised non-alcoholic cocktails in the American bar canon, named after the child film star Shirley Temple. Bar legend places its origin at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in the 1930s, where bartenders mixed a child-friendly cherry-and-soda drink for the young star. The original used ginger ale; the modern version standardises on lemon-lime soda and grenadine.

It sits in the kid-cocktail family with the Roy Rogers, the Pink Lady (mocktail) and the Arnold Palmer. All three are non-alcoholic builds designed for children at adult occasions. The Shirley Temple separates itself with the grenadine syrup, which gives the drink its signature pink colour and cherry-pomegranate sweetness no other kid mocktail produces.

Best ordered at a family restaurant, a wedding reception or any setting where a child wants something fancy in a cocktail glass. The drink is approachable, sweet-and-pink, and works as a non-alcoholic match for the adult cocktails on the table.

What it tastes like

Sweet grenadine up front, soft lemon-lime soda through the middle, sharp cherry-pomegranate finish on the back palate. The grenadine carries the colour and the sweetness; the lemon-lime soda lifts the syrup and balances the sugar with citrus. Reads as a sweet pink mocktail, not a stiff cocktail.

Zero percent ABV in the glass. Seven ounces of zero-ABV lemon-lime soda plus one ounce of zero-ABV grenadine syrup gives a non-alcoholic long pour. Each highball glass holds about eight ounces of the mixed drink with the ice in. Roughly thirty grams of sugar per serving from the soda and the grenadine combined.

The technique

Fill a highball glass with ice cubes. Pour the lemon-lime soda over the ice to fill the glass. Add the grenadine syrup, slowly pouring down the inside of the glass so the syrup sinks to the bottom. Garnish with a maraschino cherry. Do not stir; the gradient effect from clear-on-top to pink-at-bottom is part of the presentation.

The grenadine pour is the technique. Pouring the grenadine first and the soda second mixes the syrup through the volume and reads flat-pink; soda first and grenadine last gives the gradient effect with clear-on-top and pink-at-bottom. The drinker stirs at the table for the integrated pink colour, or sips from the top for the gradient experience.

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Ingredient Spotlight

The bottles that make or break this drink.

The grenadine syrup

Use: Rose’s Grenadine, Stirrings Authentic Grenadine or any pomegranate-based grenadine syrup.
Skip: Maraschino cherry juice. Different sweetness curve.
Why: Grenadine is the colour and the cherry-pomegranate flavour. The pomegranate base gives the drink its signature deep-pink colour and the soft fruity sweetness; cherry juice runs thin and the drink reads as flat pink soda rather than a Shirley Temple.

The lemon-lime soda

Use: Sprite, 7Up or any clear zero-ABV lemon-lime soda, full-sugar.
Skip: Diet lemonade or club soda. Wrong sweetness curve or no sweetness at all.
Why: Full-sugar lemon-lime soda is the volume and the citrus balance. The carbonation lifts the grenadine on the first sip and the sugar rounds off the syrup; club soda or diet versions leave the drink flat and over-sweet at the bottom of the glass.

Three Variations

Three real ways bartenders riff on this drink. Same idea, three different jackets.

The standard build

Shirley Temple, classic: Seven ounces lemon-lime soda over ice in a highball, one ounce grenadine poured over the back of a spoon, maraschino cherry garnish. Do not stir.

The ginger build

Shirley Temple, original: Swap the lemon-lime soda for ginger ale at the same ounce count. The original 1930s version with a sharper ginger finish.

The dirty build

Dirty Shirley: Add one ounce of vodka to the standard build. Loses the mocktail status, becomes a vodka cocktail with the Shirley Temple flavour profile.

What if I don't have…

Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.

No grenadine?

Pomegranate juice plus a tablespoon of sugar per ounce of juice, simmered down to a syrup. Different texture, holds the cherry-pomegranate role.

No lemon-lime soda?

Ginger ale for the original-style build, or club soda plus a teaspoon of sugar for the drier version.

No maraschino cherry?

Fresh cherry, lime wedge or no garnish at all. The garnish is the visual accent, not the flavour requirement.

No highball glass?

Any tall glass works. The volume is the constraint, not the brand of glassware.

Frequently Asked Questions

Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.

What is a Shirley Temple?

A non-alcoholic mocktail of seven ounces of lemon-lime soda and one ounce of grenadine syrup over ice, garnished with a maraschino cherry. The classic kid-cocktail at family restaurants and wedding receptions.

Why is it called a Shirley Temple?

Named after the child film star Shirley Temple, who reportedly ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in the 1930s. The bartender created a cherry-and-soda mocktail and named it for her; the recipe spread through the American bar canon.

Is a Shirley Temple alcoholic?

No, the standard build is zero percent ABV. The Dirty Shirley adds one ounce of vodka to the same recipe and becomes a vodka cocktail; the standard Shirley Temple is a child-friendly mocktail.

What does it taste like?

Sweet grenadine up front, soft lemon-lime soda through the middle, sharp cherry-pomegranate finish on the back palate. Reads as a sweet pink mocktail with a gentle citrus lift.

Can I use ginger ale instead?

Yes, that gives the original 1930s-style build. The ginger ale version has a sharper finish and a slightly drier character; the lemon-lime soda version is the modern standard.

Why don’t you stir the drink?

The unstirred build gives a gradient effect with clear soda on top and pink grenadine at the bottom of the glass. The drinker can stir at the table for the integrated pink colour, or sip from the top for the gradient experience and the sweet finish at the bottom.

How much sugar is in a Shirley Temple?

Roughly thirty grams of sugar per serving from the soda and the grenadine combined. Roughly equal to two-thirds of a 12-ounce can of regular soda.

What other mocktails are similar?

A Roy Rogers (the cola version), an Arnold Palmer (lemonade and iced tea) and a Pink Lady mocktail. All three are non-alcoholic builds designed for child-friendly or non-drinking adult occasions.

From the Drink Lab catalogue

Drink Lab has been collecting cocktail recipes since 2013. Some we wrote ourselves, plenty came in from readers, and the rest got passed across a bar somewhere along the way.

Last updated May 8, 2026 · 1 min read