Dirty Shirley Drink Recipe for Nostalgic Summer Sipping
This Dirty Shirley Drink recipe is just 3 ingredients and is super quick to make. If you love vodka, make this sweet and refreshing adult version of a Shirley Temple. Ready in just minutes, this nostalgic cocktail will help you beat the summer heat deliciously.
*I was sent this Dirty Shirley cocktail recipe and a bottle of Skyy Vodka.
A perfect summer vodka cocktail
This Dirty Shirley drink is one of the easiest vodka recipes ever! While I don’t love overly sweet cocktails, sometimes you just have to make an exception. Especially when it’s bright pink!
I love to share classic cocktail ideas that just have a few ingredients so I can show you how to maximize the liquor on your home bar.
With just 3 ingredients, this drink is super fast to make and is super easy to sip. This is a great drink recipe for people who may not be a huge fan of mixed drinks.
There are a handful of variations you can make to it to jazz it up even further. So even if you aren’t a great bartender, but like to get creative, you can play around with this drink.
Related: Cherry Vodka Sour Recipe
If you love to serve a colorful cocktail for the upcoming patriotic holidays, this Dirty Shirley Temple is perfect. By just adding in a handful of fresh blueberries, it becomes red, white and blue. Easy.
And I keep hearing about this cocktail. Like, everywhere. It might just be THE cocktail of summer. For real, this drink has the best PR person.
Ingredients
This Dirty Shirley recipe can hardly even be considered a recipe since it’s so easy. You just need vodka, grenadine, and lemon-lime soda.
Skyy Vodka has a fresh, clean taste with a slight note of minerality. I’ve tasted several vodkas while making my cocktails and it’s a great, affordable option. It’s also a product of California, as am I. :)
Cherries are the perfect garnish (and snack).
See the printable recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1
To a tall glass, add ice.
I don’t think you need to be a stickler on the “proper” glassware. The original recipe calls for a highball glass, but I used something a little shorter because that’s what I had on hand. And it still tastes great.
Step 2
Add the Skyy vodka.
Step 3
Add the grenadine. If you want to make it less sweet, just use a little bit less.
Step 4
Top with lemon-lime soda.
I generally prefer a store-bought lemon-lime soda over a brand name. I think the flavor is just better, but this is what I had.
Garnish
Finish off with a cherry garnish.
As with all cocktails, you should sip and adjust to suit your flavor preferences.
Variations
It’s easy to change up a Dirty Shirley drink to make it really sing!
- Coke – I always prefer a Cherry Coke to a Cherry Sprite, so I would skip the lemon-lime soda and make it with Coke instead!
- Herbs – When something is sweet (on account of the grenadine and soda), I like to add in some herbs as a counterpoint. Some basil or rosemary would be quite nice in this. You can either muddle it in the glass with vodka before adding ice or just garnish it with it. Clap the fresh herbs between your hands before putting in the glass to lightly bruise it and release the fragrance.
- Orange Juice – Make it a Dirty Shirley Sunrise by adding orange juice. A Vodka Sunrise is one of my most popular posts and this is just slightly different.
- Spritz – Make it a spritz by using half lemon-lime soda and half sparkling wine.
- Flavored Vodka – Use flavored vodka like citrus or vanilla for a slight twist on the flavor.
- Frozen – Blend it up with ice in a high-powered blender for a frosty treat!
- Another Liquor – Like with most tasty cocktail classics, swapping in a different liquor is a quick and easy way to make something feel new. For example, try a Vodka Mojito, a Tequila Gimlet or a Vodka Margarita.
Top tip
Give it a gentle stir before sipping to ensure that the flavors blend. Like in a Tequila Sunrise, a gentle stir means all the pretty colors but a balanced flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can read my post for the best vodka for Moscow Mules and beyond to see which brands I usually reach for.
As I mentioned above, it has a smooth, clean taste. It’s a reasonable price point and it’s easy to find. The brand also revolutionized the industry by creating a quadruple-distillation and triple-filtration process to create the smoothest vodka on the market.
Don’t worry about it. Just kidding. There are approximately 300 calories in one drink as I’ve made it. This is not a low cal, low alcohol or low-flavor (zing!) drink.
Wave bye to the Aperol Spritz of summer’s past and sip this Dirty Shirley Drink Recipe this year.
More easy cocktail recipes
- Cherry Fun Dip Cocktail Idea
- Vodka and Orange Juice
- Ginger Tequila Lemonade
- Cherry Lemonade with Pineapple Rum
- 2-Ingredient Cocktails
Dirty Shirley
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1 ounce grenadine
- 8 ounces lemon-lime soda
- cherry garnish, optional
Instructions
- Fill a high ball glass with ice.
- Add the vodka, grenadine and lemon-lime soda.
- Garnish with cherry.
Notes
Variations
It’s easy to change up a Dirty Shirley Cocktail to make it really sing!- Coke – I always prefer a Cherry Coke to a Cherry Sprite, so I would skip the lemon-lime soda and make it with Coke instead!
- Herbs – When something is sweet (on account of the grenadine and soda), I like to add in some herbs as a counterpoint. Some basil or rosemary would be quite nice in this. You can either muddle it in the glass with vodka before adding ice or just garnish it with it. Clap the fresh herbs between your hands before putting in the glass to lightly bruise it and release the fragrance.
- Orange Juice – Make it a Dirty Shirley Sunrise by adding orange juice. A Vodka Sunrise is one of my most popular posts and this is just slightly different.
- Spritz – Make it a spritz by using half lemon-lime soda and half sparkling wine.
- Flavored Vodka – Use flavored vodka like citrus or vanilla for a slight twist on the flavor.
- Frozen – Blend it up with ice in a high-powered blender for a frosty treat!
- Another Liquor – Like with most tasty cocktail classics, swapping in a different liquor is a quick and easy way to make something feel new. For example, try a Vodka Mojito, a Tequila Gimlet or a Vodka Margarita.
