Non-alcoholic recipe
Shirley Temple
Ginger ale, grenadine and fresh lime meet over ice in the cherry-topped classic, with just enough citrus to temper the sweetness.
Ingredients
- 120 ml ginger ale
- 15 ml grenadine
- 10 ml fresh lime juice
Preparation
Fill a highball glass with cubed ice. Add 15 ml grenadine and 10 ml freshly squeezed lime juice. Slowly pour in 120 ml well-chilled ginger ale, then lift the mixture gently once with a bar spoon to preserve the bubbles. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and lime wheel.
Glassware
Highball glass over cubed ice
Garnish
1 cocktail cherry and 1 lime wheel
History
Named for child actor Shirley Temple, this non-alcoholic highball was popularized in the 1930s. Temple later attributed it to Hollywood’s Brown Derby, but Chasen’s and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel have also been named in competing accounts. The original bartender and exact first recipe are not established.
Mixology View
A modest lime addition is our deliberate house adjustment to the familiar grenadine-and-soda formula. Pomegranate-based grenadine lends fruit character, but sweetness varies by product; this balance is an editorial estimate, not a tasted result.
Ingredient note
Grenadine varies in sweetness and ingredients by brand; check the label for any ingredients you avoid. Some cocktail cherries contain sulphites and may contain pits; check the selected garnish label and remove any pits before serving.