Close
Photo: Brittany Conerly
Active Time:5 minsTotal Time:5 minsServings:1Jump to Nutrition Facts
Active Time:5 minsTotal Time:5 minsServings:1
Active Time:5 mins
Active Time:
5 mins
Total Time:5 mins
Total Time:
Servings:1
Servings:
1
Jump to Nutrition Facts
Jump to recipe
In case you missed it, the Dirty Shirley isthedrink of summer. But what exactly is a Dirty Shirley? And what’s in it? Well, it’s just like it sounds—a spiked take on the classic drink, made with grenadine, lemon-lime soda or ginger ale, and vodka.
It’s unclear who first had the eureka moment to add booze to a Shirley Temple, but it appears to have started trending on TikTok as far back as fall 2021. Now the internet and social media are loaded with variations on the drink.
When we first set out to develop our version, we wanted to create one with less added sugar—a typical Dirty Shirley packs in 38 grams of the stuff, and that’s just for one. (TheDietary Guidelines for Americansrecommend that we limit consumption of added sugars to less than 10% of the calories we eat each day, or about 12 teaspoons or 48 grams for a 2,000-calorie diet. TheAmerican Heart Associationrecommends even less—we’ll just leave that to simmer.) And after tasting a typical recipe, we were more than happy to reduce it—we all found it to be way too sweet, with tasters noting they couldn’t imagine finishing one.
The main sources of added sugar in the original drink are the grenadine and the soda. First, we tried swapping out the grenadine altogether—not only is it super sweet, but also we thought it would be nice if we could find an alternative that was made without food dyes.
Since grenadine is made from pomegranate juice, we gave pomegranate molasses a try. The color gave the drink a mahogany hue and didn’t taste quite right with the soda, so we abandoned ship.
Then it was time to tackle the soda. Shirley Temples can be made with ginger ale or lemon-lime sodas like Sprite. We decided to go in the former direction since there are some lower-in-sugar alternatives at most major supermarkets in the ginger beer and ginger ale category. Plus we liked the more nuanced flavor it gave to the drink. The full pour (8 ounces) was too sweet for our tasters, so we ended up using a 50-50 blend of lower-in-sugar ginger beer (see Tip) and seltzer.
We mixed one up again and tried it next to the typical recipe. And all the tasters found it to be much more drinkable—and with less than half the added sugar to boot (only 11 grams). Cheers!
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)IngredientsIce1 ½ouncesvodka½ouncegrenadine4ounceslight ginger beer (see Tip)4ouncesplain seltzerorclub soda1maraschino cherry (see Tip)
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)
Ingredients
Ice
1 ½ouncesvodka
½ouncegrenadine
4ounceslight ginger beer (see Tip)
4ouncesplain seltzerorclub soda
1maraschino cherry (see Tip)
DirectionsFill a tall glass with ice. Add vodka and grenadine, then top with ginger beer and seltzer (or club soda). Stir to combine. Garnish with cherry.TipWe tested and analyzed this recipe with Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Ginger Beer— it’s lower in added sugar so not as sweet as other ginger beers. Look for it with sodas or cocktail mixers at your supermarket. If you avoid food dyes, look for a brand of maraschino cherries without them, such as Mezzetta. You can even substitute the liquid from the jar for the grenadine, if you’d like.Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, July 2022
Directions
Fill a tall glass with ice. Add vodka and grenadine, then top with ginger beer and seltzer (or club soda). Stir to combine. Garnish with cherry.TipWe tested and analyzed this recipe with Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Ginger Beer— it’s lower in added sugar so not as sweet as other ginger beers. Look for it with sodas or cocktail mixers at your supermarket. If you avoid food dyes, look for a brand of maraschino cherries without them, such as Mezzetta. You can even substitute the liquid from the jar for the grenadine, if you’d like.
Fill a tall glass with ice. Add vodka and grenadine, then top with ginger beer and seltzer (or club soda). Stir to combine. Garnish with cherry.
Tip
We tested and analyzed this recipe with Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Ginger Beer— it’s lower in added sugar so not as sweet as other ginger beers. Look for it with sodas or cocktail mixers at your supermarket. If you avoid food dyes, look for a brand of maraschino cherries without them, such as Mezzetta. You can even substitute the liquid from the jar for the grenadine, if you’d like.
Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, July 2022
Rate ItPrint
Nutrition Facts(per serving)168Calories18gCarbs
Nutrition Facts(per serving)
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.
