Dirty Shirley

Dirty Shirley is a throwback to your favorite childhood mocktail! Made with lemon lime soda and sweet grenadine, it’s just delightful!

This Dirty Shirley cocktails recipe is so nostalgic and delicious. Full of nostalgia with a grown-up twist, it pairs perfectly with your favorite dinner of lemon pasta, creamed peas, and Texas sheetcake. 

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Dirty Shirley

Why you’ll love this recipe!

📌 Yummy fruity flavors will make you feel like a kid again!

📌 Easy to make – just add your ingredients and stir!

📌 Versatile recipe that can be made by the glass, by the pitcher, as a frozen drink, or non-alcoholic!

Ingredients

• Lemon lime soda – Sprite or 7-Up are traditionally used. Name brand or generic, either will work fine. 
• Vodka – Any brand of vodka you love!
• Grenadine – Or the liquid from a jar of maraschino cherries. 
• Garnish – Maraschino cherries, lime slices. 

How do you make a dirty shirley cocktail (step-by-step directions)

⭐ First, fill your glass with ice. 

⭐ Next, add lemon lime soda and vodka. 

⭐ Then, add grenadine, adjust to taste. 

⭐ Finally, garnish as desired. 

Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions. 

Frozen Dirty Shirley

This recipe makes a delicious frozen drink as well!  Add 1 – 2 cups of ice per serving to your blender along with the grenadine and vodka. Blend until smooth, then gently stir in soda. 

Virgin Dirty Shirley

To make a virgin version of a Dirty Shirley (called a Shirley Temple), just skip the vodka and increase the soda by about an ounce. My kids love this, especially with garnish and in a fun glass!

Preparation

How do you make it by the pitcher?

We typically consider a pitcher to be 8 servings. To make a pitcher, multiply each ingredient by eight (exact measurements provided below).

Fill pitcher with ice, add the ingredients, then stir before pouring.

Can you make it ahead of time?

You can make this recipe a little bit ahead of time, but make sure not to add the ice until immediately before serving (or it will melt and water down the drink).

This drink includes a carbonated beverage so it can only be made a few hours in advance, otherwise it will go flat. Store prepared cocktails in a sealed container in the refrigerated for up to 6 hours.

Tips, tricks, and frequently asked questions

What kind of vodka?

This is totally a matter of preference! Honestly I typically grab whatever is on sale since you’re mostly tasting the flavors of the grenadine and soda. 

Save the expensive stuff for sipping!

Why is it called a dirty shirley?

This is the grown-up version of a Shirley Temple (named for the child actress). The cocktail version is named as such because we’ve ‘dirtied’ it up with alcohol. 

What to enjoy with a dirty Shirley cocktail (serving suggestions)

This is a  yummy drink to enjoy alongside party favorites like jalapeno popper dip, air fryer french fries, and everything but the bagel dip!

More delicious cocktail recipes

• Tequila sunrise
• Tipsy mermaid cocktail
• Rum punch recipe
• Fuzzy navel recipe
• Strawberry daiquiri
• Grapefruit margarita
• Strawberry lime spritzer
• Frozen mango margarita
• Sex on the beach
• See all our drink recipes!

Other awesome cherry recipes

• Cherry pie bites
• Cherry jello cookies
• Cherry fluff recipe
• See all our cherry recipes!

Tools we love

• Glass pitcher – Everyone needs a gorgeous glass pitcher! Perfect for water on the weekdays and cocktails on the weekends!
• Stemless wine glasses – I am a huge fan of stemless wine glasses for cocktails as they’re much less likely to tip over.  Read = I am clumsy.
• Upright blender – Frozen drinks deserve a good blender.  Make sure you use one that can blend ice easily.

How to Make a Dirty Shirley

5 from 3 votes

Dirty Shirley

Created by: April Woods

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

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Dirty Shirley is a throwback to your favorite childhood mocktail! Made with lemon lime soda and sweet grenadine, it's just delightful!

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

BY THE GLASS

• ▢ 5 ounces lemon lime soda like Sprite or 7-Up
• ▢ 1 ounce vodka
• ▢ ½ ounce grenadine or more, to taste
• ▢ optional garnishes: maraschino cherries, lime slices

BY THE PITCHER

• ▢ 5 cups lemon lime soda like Sprite or 7-Up
• ▢ 1 cup vodka
• ▢ ½ cup grenadine or more, to taste
• ▢ optional garnishes: maraschino cherries, lime slices

Instructions

BY THE GLASS

• Add a scoop of ice to glass.
• Pour vodka and lemon lime soda into glass.
• Add grenadine and stir. Add more grenadine, to taste, if desired.
• Garnish and serve.

BY THE PITCHER

• Optional: Fill your pitcher about ¾ full of ice. (Alternatively, put ice in individual glasses before serving).
• Pour vodka and lemon lime soda into pitcher.
• Add grenadine and stir. Add more grenadine, to taste, if desired.
• Garnish and serve.

Notes

Calories are automatically generated. For best results calculate based on your exact ingredients.

• VIRGIN DIRTY SHIRLEY: (Also called a Shirley Temple) Swap the vodka for additional lemon lime soda. 
• FROZEN DIRTY SHIRLEYAdd 1 - 2 cups of ice per serving to your blender along with vodka and grenadine. Blend until smooth, then stir in lemon lime soda. 

Nutrition

Calories: 197kcal

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Dirty Shirley

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