The Shirley Temple

She was adorable. With that, anyone would agree. And clever, learning all those scripted lines, charming songs, and tap-dance numbers. And inspirational, lifting spirits and bringing smiles to a generation in the grip of the Great Depression. And now, a few weeks shy of her 86^th birthday, she has left us. Long live Shirley Temple - and the fizzy little drink that was her namesake.

I drank my first Shirley Temple when I was 18. Serving it in a wide, low glass, Trader Vic’s floated a white camellia on it, which was how things were done in those days. The drink didn’t contain a drop of alcohol, but it was pink and fizzy and arrived decorated with a cherry and a tiny straw and that wonderfully memorable camellia. I was giddy with excitement. It was altogether the best drink I’d ever had, and ever have had, to this day. You think I wouldn’t ask for the recipe? This is precisely how Trader Vic’s made it! 

The Shirley Temple:

3 or 4 ice cubes

1 tbsp. (15 mL) grenadine

½ c. (125 mL) lemon-lime soft drink (“soda”) such as 7-Up

¼ c. (60 mL) no-pulp orange juice

1 skewered maraschino cherry (mandatory)

1 bar straw (mandatory)

1 white camellia (optional)

A sprinkling of stardust (mandatory)

Chill a broad, low glass such as a large brandy snifter. Shake together (do not whirl in a blender), three or four ice cubes, grenadine, lemon-lime drink, and pulp-free orange juice. Strain and serve, topped with a cherry, a bar straw, and (sigh!) a white camellia. Sprinkle with stardust. None in the air? Then honey, you’re wasting your time. Serves 1.