You won't believe who's talking about this thing…and it's not as new as you might think.
From internet explosion of hashtags to a surprising celebrity advocate, here's why everyone's
going to be digging Dirty Shirleys this summer.
The traditional Shirley Temple is timeless, classy, and refreshing all year long.
In its simplest form, the drink is made with Sprite or ginger ale mixed with ruby-red grenadine
syrup on the rocks, topped with a maraschino cherry that is ideally fished from the bottom
of the glass and eaten with great relish at the very end.
For many people, it was a childhood favorite.
While the Shirley Temple is widely referred to as the "original mocktail," it seems to
be making a splash in the adult beverage world as the latest trendy sipper, with one additional
ingredient.
Its vodka-spiked version goes by the name Dirty Shirley, and according to The New York
Times, you can expect to see it on cocktail menus just about everywhere this summer — including
the one in your own home, because it's very easy to make.
What is it about this current moment in time that's propelling the Dirty Shirley into viral
popularity?
According to Ashwin Deshmukh, the co-founder of the New York City bar Short Stories, a
lot of city-dwelling imbibers are feeling nostalgic after spending so much time on the
quiet streets of their childhood homes during the pandemic.
He said:
"I really believe it's the drink of the summer in New York City because everyone's back and
they're bringing their post-suburban ironic taste with them."
"I'm gonna be a regular.
This is what I've been missing all my life."
The New York Times article went on to note:
"There's been a notable influx of new restaurants in New York that evoke the feeling of chain
restaurants and suburban living."
Taking cues from The Times and the millions of people watching Dirty Shirley tutorials
on TikTok right now, BuzzFeed hopped on the trend to try out the vodka-spiked refreshment.
Their review said that the taste of vodka was nearly undetectable, but this Shirley
remix had the potential to turn into the Temple of Doom, saying:
"The Dirty Shirley is delightful and dangerous.
These are the kinds of cocktails that will leave you with a headache the morning after."
In other words, you might want to order a side of fries if you're going in for more
than a few Dirty Shirleys
Yes, everyone is talking about the Dirty Shirley — even Ryan Seacrest.
In an Instagram clip posted by the On Air With Ryan Seacrest account, the "American
Idol" host can be heard talking about the trending cocktail, and he sounds pretty excited
about it.
"This is the drink that I keep hearing about.
It's a flashback to when we were kids."
In the podcast episode, Seacrest and his co-host agree that the drink is delicious, but might
have too much sugar for their liking.
If you're making these at home, an easy solution skimping on the sweetness is simply swapping
out the Sprite for seltzer.
One 12 oz can of Sprite has 38 grams of sugar while seltzer doesn't have any.
If you're craving a Dirty Shirley but want to avoid the sugar high that it might invoke,
this switch may be the answer.
And although it's straying a bit from the classic Shirley Temple recipe, if you add
a bit of lemon and lime juice to your dirty version, you might not even be missing that
Sprite at all.
People may be calling the Dirty Shirley the "latest buzz-worthy cocktail trend," but this
isn't the first time you might have heard of this drink.
Real Housemoms posted about the adult beverage back in 2015, calling it "an easy cocktail
to entertain with."
And in 2018 the Tipsy Bartender posted a Dirty Shirley recipe to YouTube.
Even Ryan Seacrest's Instagram post had commenters mentioning how long they'd been drinking this
cocktail.
The admittedly catchy name of Dirty Shirley might be a new buzzword – and even the name
isn't that new – but this is far from the first time someone has splashed a bit of booze
into a Shirley Temple.
If something tastes good, someone somewhere will add alcohol to it.
"Why would you be nervous?
There's no alcohol in a virgin mary."
"There isn't?
This is unbelievable."
Still, TikTokkers can't be wrong – if you're looking for a refreshing sipper this summer,
you won't be alone if you ask the bartender for a Dirty Shirley.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite food trends are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.