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Home » Recipes » Mother's Day Recipes

Dirty Shirley Cocktail with Vanilla Vodka: for Grown Ups Only

Updated: Jul 30, 2024 by Marye

Fizzy and sweet - you'll love this grown up version of the Shirley Temple! Be sure to use a good grenadine because it makes all the difference.
Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 5 minutes minutes
Jump to Recipe
A dirty shirley cocktail in a balloon glass.

A Dirty Shirley Cocktail is the grown up version of the sweet, bubbly drink your parents used to get you when you went out to eat. Made with ginger ale, grenadine, maraschino cherries and vanilla vodka it might just become your new drink bff.

For this recipe you'll need: vanilla vodka, maraschino cherries, grenadine, ginger ale or ginger beer (the spicier the better), and ice

A red cocktail with pink striped straws in it sits on a lace topped table. Text says "Dirty Shirley Cocktail"
Table of Contents
  • Grown Up Version of Your Childhood Fav
  • Dirty Shirley with Vanilla Vodka
  • More Favorite Cocktails
  • You May Need
  • Dirty Shirley Cocktail Recipe
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Share Your Images
  • 💬 Comments

Grown Up Version of Your Childhood Fav

When I was little going to a restaurant was a very big deal. Nowadays it's common to go out to eat several times a month but back then?

Not so much.

It was the age of dressing up to go to the grocery store. Poufy dresses, patent leather shoes, little white gloves... they were all part of the ensemble whenever a public appearance was required.

Best manners, best clothes, best behavior.

When we did go our I was allowed to get a Shirley Temple which seemed very special and grown up. It was a pretty red drink with plenty of fizz and a cherry in the bottom of the glass.

These days I still love the Shirley Temple, but like me, she's grown up and gotten a bit more worldly.

Into sweet, girly drinks? Try this creme de violette cocktail, too.

Dirty Shirley with Vanilla Vodka

Although many recipes call for cherry vodka I prefer plain or vanilla vodka in this recipe. It might be because those vodkas are less cloyingly sweet than the cherry vodka OR it could be that I got horribly sick on cherry vodka when I was 16.

Either way - feel free to use whatever kind of vodka you prefer.

More Favorite Cocktails

I do love a good cocktail! Here are some of my favorite cocktail recipes - give them a try.

  • Electric Lemonade is bright blue... think of it as the adult version of blue Kool Aid.
  • Sex in the Driveway has the weirdest name ever but it it so good.
  • Spiked Arnold Palmer so refreshing for summer sipping.
  • Durango Cocktail is similar to a Paloma.
  • Bourbon Peach Tea tastes like summer in the South!

Another absolutely refreshing cocktail named after an actress is the Ginger Rogers. SO GOOD!

You May Need

What's new? Check out my Restless Chipotle & Co. Store on Amazon where you'll find all kinds of nostalgic goodness!  Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!

You can laugh at me if you want but my favorite part of the drink was the cocktail umbrella!

A red cocktail is on a piece of lace and surrounded by pink flowers.

Dirty Shirley Cocktail Recipe

I like this cocktail made with ginger beer - the spicier the better. You could make it with lemon-lime soda as well.

📖 Recipe

A dirty shirley cocktail in a balloon glass.

Dirty Shirley Cocktail

4.82 from 11 votes
Print Rate Recipe
Fizzy and sweet - you'll love this grown up version of the Shirley Temple! Be sure to use a good grenadine because it makes all the difference.
Course Beverage - Cocktail
Cuisine Amercian Heritage
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Servings:1
Calories:273
Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces vanilla vodka
  • 1 ounce grenadine
  • 6 ounces ginger ale
  • 1 maraschino cherry
  • 1 lime wheel

Instructions

  • Fill a shaker with ice and add the vanilla vodka and grenadine.
  • Shake well.
  • Strain into a chilled glass full of ice.
  • Add the ginger ale.
  • Add the cherry and lime garnish.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 20mg | Sugar: 29g | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

Share Your Images

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About Marye

Meet Marye Audet, a wizard in the kitchen and a storyteller at heart. Marye is like your eccentric but fun aunt who knows all the secret recipes and isn't afraid to spill them.

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Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

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