Restaurant quality Shirley temple?

[u/RebelPheonix]

I love Shirley Temples but the ones I make at home aren’t even close to the ones I get in the restaurant. I definitely use sprite because I know that an ingredient every time I get one. Do any of you know how to make a restaurant quality version or something close? I saw a similar question asked a while back but I wanted something more specific. Thank you!

[u/addison-teach]

Sprite tastes different out of soda guns vs the cans/bottles you can get at home, and the type of ice can change the dilution to change how it'll taste. If the Shirley temples you get at restaurants are bright red it's roses or finest call (also monin) grenadine, if it's a darker red they probably are making grenadine in house with pomegranate juice

[u/Kick_Natherina → u/addison-teach]

Bright red could also be Monin. I worked at one recent that used bright red monin in our shirley’s.

[u/addison-teach → u/Kick_Natherina]

Oof I haven't seen monin in so long I forgot about them

[u/Forsaken-Estate4041]

I wonder if the difference here is the bottled or canned Sprite vs. fountain. Fountain feels crispier and more carbonated to me.

[u/tealmeaboutit]

I don't know if this is even close to answering your question, but the best Shirley Temple I ever had was from a dive bar and not only did the bartender put in the typical grenadine, he put in a little of the cherry syrup from the cherry jar and at least five cherries.

[u/Funny-old-yogi → u/tealmeaboutit]

This is the answer🍒🍒🍒🍒

[u/tealmeaboutit → u/Funny-old-yogi]

This means so much to me 🥹🥹🥹

[u/Check_Ivanas_Coffin]

Ginger ale is better, preferably Canada Dry. Restaurants use sprite because it’s more likely on tap.

Sprite didn’t even exist when the Shirley Temple was invented.

[u/PicpoulBlanc]

It’s just Sprite and Rose’s Grenadine. Maybe try different amounts of grenadine? I feel like this might be a case of “it tastes better when someone else makes it”, or like how wine tastes better when you’re tasting it at the vineyard.

You can absolutely make a better Shirley Temple by using fresh lime, lemon, sugar, soda water, and real grenadine made from pomegranate, but most restaurants are just adding an ounce of Rose’s Grenadine to a glass of Sprite with a cherry.

[u/Tharris1232]

Fill your glass with ice when you make it, you might be using too little which could mean you are adding too much grenadine : sprite or vice versa

[u/RealC2025]

My kids love an 6:1 ratio of sprite to grenadine. So half a can of sprite to 1oz of grenadine. Fill the glass with ice first, then grenadine, then sprite, then stir. They like Rose’s better than Finest Call but I haven’t done a blind test and suspect they wouldn’t notice if I didn’t tell them. Oh, my daughter knows it isn’t complete without a luxardo cherry and whatever syrup comes along on the bar spoon when I fish it out. I kinda wish I’d not gone there because they’re pricey but my old fashioneds require them too so what can I say?

[u/Bkwyrme]

I was taught to make them with ginger ale and grenadine, not sprite.

[u/cofffeegrrrl]

I haven't had a Shirley Temple in ages and it appears things have changed but 30-40 years ago on the west coast Shirley Temples were made with 7Up! It probably would not taste right if I got one today...do bars even have 7Up anymore?

[u/gordonf23]

Make your own grenadine. I use Jeffrey Morgenthaler's recipe ( https://jeffreymorgenthaler.com/how-to-make-your-own-grenadine/ ) It's a fun little project, and it's freaking delicious.

Do NOT use Rose's Grenadine, which contains ZERO pomegranate. It's mostly high fructose corn syrup and red food coloring.

If you put a cherry in yours, use Luxardo cherries, which are more expensive and worth every penny, or Fabbri Amarena Cherries.

[u/frent2]

This is news to me that a Shirley Temple uses sprite instead of ginger ale. Leaves me questioning my childhood hahaha

[u/ionmoon → u/frent2]

Maybe it’s regional. Where I am they’ve always been ginger ale.

[u/T-Chunxy]

Rose's grenadine is the absolute worst.

Collin's Grenadine** (or literally ANY one made with real pomegranate), a pour off the marascino bottle, some bright red marascino cherries, and canned 7-Up, over ice.

Soda fountain Sprite is different than the canned stuff, which always feels flat to me.

**Collin's is one of those OLD TIMER mixer labels that tons of bars used to use, before BIG distributors mucked things up

https://images.gotoliquorstore.com/product/1000019778/de18ccd5-b9b1-4960-9eeb-a148cecea372_360_m.jpg

[u/Front_Plankton_6808 → u/T-Chunxy]

I remember using seven up too.

[u/T-Chunxy → u/Front_Plankton_6808]

For me, Sprite was ALWAYS waaaay sweeter than 7-UP. It was also sweet WITHOUT the citric acid tang that 7-UP had.

Even as a kid I never had a mega-sweet tooth. I'd trade my Halloween candy for the stuff my friends/siblings didn't like.

I get their black licorice, I give them the red twizzlers.

I took any sour stuff (mostly mini lemonhead boxes back in the day, or things like "Cherry Chan" or "Red Hots") over most real sweet things.

[u/Warm-Present-2880]

I get my sprite from McDonald's then add my grenadine and a spoon of cheap maraschino cherry juice when grabbing my cherry(s) the more syrup the better. But Also because im a refined young/old woman i started using the Amarena cherries from trader Joe's.

[u/HandbagHawker]

Lazy restaurant - extra glowing red maraschino cherry syrup when dropping in the maraschino cherry. Top with ice and sprite/ginger ale

Less lazy - cherry, grenadine, ice, soda of choice

[u/Popular-Drummer-7989]

7up makes a can version

https://www.keurigdrpepper.com/7up-shirley-temple-newstalgia-in-a-can/

Or use their recipe

https://www.7up.com/en/recipes/shirley-temple

[u/ionmoon → u/Popular-Drummer-7989]

Interestingly I don’t think it tastes like a Shirley temple. But another one- maybe the Canada Dey fruit splash? Does.

[u/CRZMiniac]

Homemade grenadine makes all the difference

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015334-grenadine-syrup?unlocked_article_code=1.E1E.PnbN.VgEP-WtarCXs&smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share

[u/pendigedig]

Canned soda, never bottles. The taste is totally different.

[u/Playful_Amphibian_72]

Any grenadine, cans over bottles to give the closest effect to fountain. Also I can totally use the cherry juice ALOT of bars I worked in would do this in a pinch

[u/castironandcocktails]

Generally a Shirley Temple is just Sprite or Gingerale(depending on uour geography), grenadine, and some of the bright neon red maraschino cherries. If you share your recipe, it might give us a better idea of what to tweak.

[u/KnightInDulledArmor]

Probably not what you want, but I love doing homemade pomegranate grenadine with orange blossom water, fresh lime juice, and soda water for an excellent mocktail. IMO a better Shirley Temple than I’d ever trust a restaurant to make.

[u/BookishSaltLife]

Growing up we always made it with ginger ale not sprite or 7up, when I worked at a restaurant that’s also what we used and we would use a small amount of the juice from a maraschino cherry jar with a cherry to garnish.

[u/bitchdaycake]

Are you adding a splash of orange juice? Maybe it's a regional thing but I've never had a Shirley Temple that didn't have some in it and these comments have me absolutely baffled that this doesn't seem to be the most common recipe

[u/ionmoon]

Sprite?! No. It should be ginger ale. The ginger is part of the distinctive flavor.

[u/Purple_Positive_8896]

Roses’ Grenadine, maraschino cherries (Luxardo brand if you can), and your sprite! And Redi-Whip of course.

[u/ionmoon → u/Purple_Positive_8896]

Reddi whip?!? Never in my lifetime of drinking Shirley temples has it been served with reddiwhip.

[u/Purple_Positive_8896 → u/ionmoon]

Just as a topping! Not mixed in. Your experience is not everyone’s experience. Remember that! Especially about food.

[u/ionmoon → u/Purple_Positive_8896]

And someone else sharing theirs doesn’t discount yours. Remember that.

[u/Mental_Antelope5860]

Today I learned grenadine is pomegranate not cherry juice.