The Shirley Temple has been an alcohol-free favorite for nearly a century. It’s been called the “original mocktail,” but its actual history – and ingredients – are up for debate.
“Beverage history is always murky,” Jennifer Brian, co-founder and owner of the craft cocktail company Make & Muddle and self-proclaimed “cocktail evangelist,” told Fox News Digital. “Any time alcohol is involved, origin stories are frequently at least two parts lore to one part truth.”
The Shirley Temple, though it does not contain alcohol, “is no exception,” said Brian, who is based in Louisville, Kentucky.
Legend has it that “the Shirley Temple beverage was created and named after the child actress in the 1930s when she complained that her parents were sipping their own cocktails at dinner, but she didn’t have anything fun to sip,” said Brian.
The exact origin of the beverage, however, is somewhat disputed, with several iconic restaurants taking credit.
“Chasen’s in Hollywood claimed to have originated it, but the Brown Derby restaurant as well as the Royal Hawaiian also claim to be the home of the original,” said Brian.
The original recipe for the Shirley Temple features ginger ale, grenadine, and cherries – but even that has changed over time.
“Midwesterners tend to like it with Sprite or 7 Up, while West Coast folks tend to make it with the original ginger ale,” said Brian.
Other people may add things such as “orange juice or other citrus” to try to liven up the drink’s flavors, she said.
The exact amount of grenadine — the red bar syrup that gives the Shirley Temple its distinct coloring — is also a matter of personal taste. “The ratio of grenadine to soda can change depending on how sweet you like your drinks,” said Brian. The more grenadine, the sweeter the drink is, she said.
One component of the Shirley Temple, however, is not up for debate: the garnish. “Everyone agrees there should be as many cherries in it as possible,” Brian said. The Shirley Temple kick-started a celebrity-named “mocktail” trend, Brian told Fox News Digital.
“In addition to the Shirley Temple, the Roy Rogers was also an immensely popular mocktail originating in the 1940s using grenadine and cola instead of the ginger ale,” she said.
“The Arnold Palmer is also an iconic mocktail that is a mixture of iced tea and lemonade.”
In the modern era, “mocktails are finding their way onto more and more menus every day, and rightly so,” said Brian – and are not just for kids anymore. “Folks choose not to imbibe for lots of reasons — some health, some personal. No matter why they are not imbibing, there absolutely should be a seat at the table for everyone,” she said.
While the Shirley Temple has been a bar menu mainstay since its creation, one person was decidedly not a fan of the drink: Shirley Temple Black herself.
“I hate them,” Temple Black told National Public Radio’s Scott Simon in a 1986 interview. She said the drinks were “too sweet” for her liking, calling them “icky” and “saccharine.”
The former child-star-turned-diplomat told Simon that the drink was “created in the 1930s by the Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood, and I had nothing to do with it.”
She was often served the drink without ordering one, which she further disliked, she told the same source. Temple Black died on Feb. 10, 2014.
As Fox News Digital previously reported, the alcohol-free cocktail trend has extended to travel.
Sober travel, also known as “dry tripping,” was one of 2024’s hottest vacation trends, according to Hotels.com — with more than 40% of travelers saying they were likely to book a detox trip in the next year.
A spokesperson told Fox News Digital that reviews mentioning “mocktails” surged by 50% year over year, “with guests raving about the creative nonalcoholic offerings at top hotels worldwide.”
(Fox News)
