How to Make a Shirley Temple
A Shirley Temple is just grenadine and ginger ale over ice, but getting the ratio wrong turns it into either flat syrup or watery soda with no color. The order you pour things in matters more than most people think.
Steps
- 1Fill a tall glass with ice, about three-quarters full.
- 2Pour in 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) of grenadine.
- 3Top the glass slowly with about 6-8 ounces of chilled ginger ale, leaving room at the top.
- 4Stir gently once with a bar spoon to let the grenadine rise up through the ginger ale, creating the classic gradient from dark pink at the bottom to pale pink at the top.
- 5Drop in one or two maraschino cherries.
- 6Garnish with an orange slice or extra cherry on the rim, and serve with a straw.
Common mistakes
- Adding too much grenadine: more than 1/2 ounce per glass makes the drink cloyingly sweet and turns it red instead of pink.
- Stirring too vigorously: over-stirring mixes the grenadine and ginger ale completely and kills the pretty color gradient.
- Using flat or warm ginger ale: it needs to be well-chilled and fresh out of the bottle to keep its fizz once it hits the ice.
Equipment
- Tall glass (highball or Collins glass)
- Bar spoon or long spoon
- Jigger or tablespoon for measuring
FAQ
What's the difference between a Shirley Temple and a Roy Rogers?
A Roy Rogers uses cola instead of ginger ale, otherwise the grenadine and cherry garnish are the same.
Can I use grenadine substitutes?
Pomegranate juice mixed with a little simple syrup works, but it's less sweet and less vivid than bottled grenadine, which relies on added sugar and red dye for that classic color.
Why did my drink turn out too syrupy?
The grenadine likely sank to the bottom and got scooped up with the first few sips before mixing with the ginger ale. Stirring once, gently, right after pouring fixes this.
Can I make a Shirley Temple with lemon-lime soda instead of ginger ale?
Yes, this is sometimes called a Roy Rogers variation or just a sweeter version, but it loses the slight ginger bite that gives the drink its characteristic flavor.
Need exact temperatures or timing? Check our Time & Temperature Guide →