Who doesn't love a Shirley Temple? My children still drinking them up as fast as they can be made. So of course, I needed to make a dirty Shirley drink for all of us adults. The dirty Shirley Temple cocktail is a simple to make vodka cocktail with three ingredients of Sprite, maraschino cherries, and vodka. Plus the mocktail version, Shirley Temple, will for sure be a hit with your kids.

The thing about a Shirley Temple is it can vary a little bit. The Orange Shirley Temple is a more traditional Shirley Temple. Today, the kiddie cocktail with lemon-lime soda and maraschino cherries is most commonly what people mean when they say, Shirley Temple.

What's in a Dirty Shirley Temple?

The ingredients in this cherry cocktail are just 3 simple ingredients:

Sprite - Any lemon-lime soda will work, but Sprite is our go-to brand. Ginger ale can also work.
Maraschino cherries - Not just the cherries but the cherry juice the cherries are soaking in is necessary too.
Vodka - It is just a kiddie cocktail without the vodka. Your favorite vodka is just what you need to use. Tito's vodka is my go-to when I am not trying local craft vodkas.

How to Make a Dirty Shirley Drink?

Making the Shirley Temple or even Dirty Shirley is the same process. The only change is the vodka. Start by filling a fun glass like some acrylic wine glasses with ice. Add both the cherries and juice to the glass of ice. This tiny nugget ice makes every cocktail better.

Pour the vodka and then Sprite or other lemon-lime soda over the top of the ice. If you are making the mocktail version aka the Shirley Temple Drink, then just leave out the vodka.