A fruity twist on the classic Shirley Temple soda! This strawberry Shirley Temple mocktail is perfect for the warmer weather and adds a nice juiciness to your classic Shirley. This recipe uses a homemade strawberry syrup that’s super easy to make and adds the perfect flavor.

This variation has way less sugar and can easily be customized to your taste. Plus, you’ll find out how to make a Shirley Temple without grenadine!

So, here’s how to make a strawberry Shirley Temple at home!

What is a Shirley Temple?

A Shirley Temple is a non-caffeinated soda drink made from a lemon-lime soda or ginger ale, grenadine, and a maraschino cherry on top.

It’s known to be a kid’s drink and a very popular mocktail due to its vibrant color and cute cherry on top. It was one of my favorite drinks growing up and still is (but just a little too sweet for me now).

Why is it called a Shirley Temple? The origins of the Shirley Temple come from the famous actress herself! Temple went out with her parents to a restaurant where they enjoyed some old-fashioned cocktails, making young Shirley want a cool drink herself. Since she was just a child, the restaurant bartender whipped up this cool cherry soda and it spread like wildfire.

What is a Shirley Temple Made of?

Traditional Shirley Temples have ginger ale or lemon-lime soda (or a mix of both), ice, grenadine syrup, and a maraschino cherry on top. Grenadine is a pomegranate syrup and it’s commonly added to many cocktails like the Tequila Sunrise, Gin Daisy, Pink Lady, etc.

This concoction gives Shirley Temples that iconic flavor: slightly tart and very sweet, but deliciously addicting. The pomegranate flavor works nicely with the citrus or ginger soda, although the main “flavor” is sugar.

I personally prefer ginger ale in my Shirley Temples, but you can’t go wrong with either soda. You can also make a Dirty Shirley, which is just a spiked version of the soda.

Do Shirley Temples Have Alcohol

No, the traditional Shirley Temple does not have alcohol in it. In fact, the drink originated as a mocktail for Shirley when she was a child! However, you can totally boozify it by adding your favorite spirit.

To make an alcoholic version (or a Dirty Shirley), you can add a shot of your favorite clear liquor, like vodka or gin, and then assemble the drink normally. You can even use lemon-flavored alcohol or other fruity spirits to go with the same flavors.

Can you Substitute Strawberry Syrup for Grenadine?

If you’re looking for a grenadine substitute, strawberry syrup is not an exact replacement, as it doesn’t have the same flavor. But it’s a close substitute, especially in color!

If you don’t have grenadine, you can substitute it with either pomegranate juice or any other berry-flavored syrup like strawberry or raspberry. Raspberry syrup probably tastes the most similar to pomegranate because it’s both sour and sweet like pomegranates. Plus, the color is very similar.

You can also use plain simple syrup as well, but your drink won’t have that signature tart flavor or red color. It still makes a refreshing soda, though!

Can I Make a Shirley Temple with Strawberry Syrup?

Yes! You can still make a Shirley Temple if you only have strawberry syrup. You can make it with either storebought or homemade strawberry syrup, but the secret ingredient is a little splash of lemon juice to get that signature tartness.

Is this just a strawberry lemon-lime soda? Yes, but it’s dang good. Plus, I feel like Shirley Temples are iconic from the maraschino cherry and color, so making one with strawberry syrup instead of grenadine is totally fine.

What is a Strawberry Shirley Temple?

A strawberry Shirley Temple is the same as a regular Shirley Temple but with both strawberry syrup, grenadine, and a maraschino cherry. You can also make it without grenadine and just strawberry syrup.

It’s sweet, slightly tart, fizzy, and delicious! You can’t go wrong with a fruity lemon-lime soda, plus the added cherry makes it so fun. This recipe uses sparkling water instead of soda to balance the sweetness, but you can use any lemon-lime soda (Sprite, Starry, 7UP, etc.) to replicate a classic version.

What Does a Strawberry Shirley Temple Taste Like?

Adding strawberry to homemade Shirley Temple’s gives it a slightly different flavor.

A strawberry Shirley Temple tastes similar to a normal one, just with a little more tang and strawberry flavor. It adds a subtle brightness to the drink and helps balance out the sweetness, especially when there’s actual soda.

Both strawberries and pomegranates are sweet and tangy, but pomegranates tend to lean more sweet and sour while strawberries are sweet and sour with a slight bitterness. It’s safe to say they’re pretty similar flavors with subtle differences.

Why Use Sparkling Water?

If Shirley Temples sounds like they have a lot of sugar, it’s because it does. One serving can have around 50g of sugar (1 can of Sprite has 39g of sugar!)

To make a healthier, less sugary version of a Shirley Temple, you can use sparkling water or club soda instead of regular soda. I personally like this method so it’s much less sweet but you can still enjoy a variation of it!

With sparkling water, you can add however much grenadine you want and also a splash of lemon juice for a fresher flavor. You can even use lime or lemon-flavored sparkling water for the same effect.

How to Make Strawberry Syrup

Making homemade strawberry syrup is so easy and great to make ahead of time to enjoy the rest of the week. All you need are fresh or frozen strawberries, water, and sugar.

With frozen strawberries, simmer all the ingredients in a small pot and reduce until your desired consistency. Then, let cool before serving.

With fresh strawberries, you can use the same method or make a macerated version by cutting up strawberries into half-inch pieces and placing them in a jar. Then, add sugar and mix. Let the strawberries sit for at least an hour, then you have a chunky strawberry syrup ready to use!

Here’s my in-depth guide to strawberry syrup.

How to Make a Strawberry Shirley Temple

Here’s what you’ll need to make a strawberry Shirley Temple at home:

• 1- 2 tbsp strawberry syrup
• 1-2 tbsp grenadine
• 1 cup ice
• 1 cup sparkling water or lemon-lime soda
• 1 maraschino cherry
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Strawberry Shirley Temple Recipe

1. Make Strawberry Syrup. Add strawberries, sugar, and water to a small pot and simmer until sugar dissolves and the juices leak out. Mash strawberries for more juice, then reduce until your desired consistency. Let cool before use. (Full strawberry syrup recipe.)
2. Assemble Drink. Add ice, strawberry syrup, grenadine, and ice into a glass, then top with sparkling water and a maraschino cherry.
3. Mix and Enjoy!

Shirley Temple Variations

Shirley Temples are so fun to experiment with and go with all sorts of flavor combinations. Here are a few to try:

• Shirley Temple Matcha Soda
• Dirty Shirley
• Frozen Shirley Temple
• Roy Rogers (Coca-Cola version)
• Canadian Shirley Temple (orange juice)

Tips:

Here are some tips to make a juicy strawberry Shirley Temple at home!

• Use Fruit Juice: Have fruit juice on hand? Use that instead of flavored syrup for a fresher, more natural taste. It’s best if you use pomegranate juice as the most similar substitute for grenadine.
• Use Maraschino Cherries with Stems: You can get cherries with or without stems, but the ones with stems make garnishing a lot easier. Plus, it’ll be easier to get them out of your drink as well.