Each year around Christmas and New Years, Laura surprises me with a new holiday beverage. We already have a nice tradition going on that pertains to food, so it was natural to include something to drink as well. She enjoys researching all types of drink recipes to come up with something she knows I’d like. This year, after hinting that we really needed to run out to pick up some ginger beer, she prepared and presented me with a stellar Dirty Shirley Temple.
If you aren’t aware, the traditional Shirley Temple is a non-alcoholic drink that’s perfect for kids to enjoy during the holidays. I remember drinking many of my own Shirley Temples quite fondly. They were delicious – as well they should have been due to their high sugar content. A Shirley Temple calls for ginger ale, grenadine, and a maraschino cherry. Simple really, but again, all sugar. Which is fine because it’s not an everyday drink. But that explains the great taste, anyway.
The Dirty Shirley Temple
The recipe for the Shirley Temple’s adult version isn’t much more complex than the kid’s. It really consists of only a few ingredients. I’ll get to them below. First, I’d like to thank the Noble Pig for this recipe. Without the Noble Pig, I’d be nothing in this drink category.
Ingredients
Makes: 1 Glass
2.5 Ounces Vodka
1 Ounce Lime Juice
1/4 Ounce Grenadine Syrup
3 Ounces Ginger Beer
1 Lime Slice
1 Maraschino Cherry
Combine Ingredients
Add the vodka, lime juice, and grenadine syrup to a glass or shaker. Stir or shake everything so its completely and thoroughly combined. Then, add in the ginger beer and gently stir so it’s nicely mixed in with the other ingredients. If a shaker was used, pour its contents into a glass for serving.
Garnish with a lime slice, a maraschino cherry, or both. In my case, we didn’t have any lime, so we left that out.
What an awesome beverage. Obviously, with the vodka, this is a step up from the ones I used to have as a child, but it’s just as good or even better with the alcohol in it. The vodka gives some bite.
Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. It’s easy enough to put together. Enjoy!
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