The Summer of Shirley

move over espresso martinis, you had your 5 seconds of fame

The New York Times is forecasting that the Dirty Shirley Temple may very well be *THE* summer drink of 2022. They bolstered their claim with the fact that like 5 bars in NYC are serving them and there’s a few tutorial videos on TikTok. Umm, okay? We don’t live in New York so don’t consider what a handful of bars are doing in a former Dutch colony that big of a deal, HOWEVER we sure as shit LOVE ourselves a Shirley Temple.

this could be yours

Long seen as a childish order at a bar- prob because it’s named after a child star- this drink doesn’t get enough respect. The article claims the beverage is getting popular again because of suburban and early aughts nostalgia but we contend that it’s because Shirley Temples are fucking delicious.

the original mocktail queen deserves better

The biggest problem with this iconic American cocktail, dirty or not, is that most grenadine is goddamn disgusting. It’s too sweet and full of artificial dyes and flavorings. No thank you. So this week we’re gonna share our longtime staple recipe for homemade grenadine. It’s as simple as boiling a pot of water and can be added to all kinds of homemade drinks. It’s delicious splashed in with some pineapple juice and sparkling water, stirred into lemonade, or mixed with grapefruit and lime juice. As for Shirley Temples, we prefer ours with ginger ale but you do you. This syrup will keep in the fridge for about 3 weeks but you’ll get through it much, much faster. We’ve added cherries to the mix to evoke the classic maraschino thrown into the drink but you know, without all the fake dyes and syrupy sweetness. Cheers to forever fav.

Cherry Grenadine

Makes about 1 ½ cups

1 cup frozen or fresh cherries

1 ½ cups pomegranate juice*

1 cup cane sugar

1 tablespoon orange blossom water, optional but you already have some right?

In a medium saucepan, dump the cherries and smash them up with a potato masher or large spoon. Big chunks are fine, this is just to help them break down a little easier. Add the juice and sugar then bring the pot to a simmer. Stirring occasionally to make sure the sugar dissolves and the pot doesn’t boil over. Let this simmer gently for 10 minutes then turn off the heat. Stir in the orange blossom water and let this shit cool in the pot for at least 10 minutes. Strain into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and store in the fridge.

*pomegranate juice can be expensive but we’ve subbed in cranberry juice and it tasted good too. Just add an extra ¼ cup of sugar to the recipe to cut down on that tartness. 

Classic Shirley Temple

Makes 1 drink

Ice

2 tablespoons/1 ounce cherry grenadine

1 cup/8 ounces ginger ale

Fill a tall glass with your favorite ice. Drizzle in half of the homemade grenadine then pour in the ginger ale. Drizzle in the rest of the grenade and stir once or twice to make sure that shit is all mixed up. Garnish with a cherry if you wanna seem fancy.

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As part of our expanding benefits package for all our gorgeous paid supporters like yourself, we’re offering a BIG ASS discount at our merch store because we know y’all like nice things. So in addition to being part of the recipe club here at The Broiler Room, you get 30% off in our little shop with the code BROILER. We’re particularly in love with our pendants and sweatshirts but take a peek and see what catches your eye.

Thanks again for all your support and hilarious emails. We love that shit. We couldn’t do any of this without y’all.

Michelle and Matt