Did you know that the Dirty Shirley is the drink of the summer for 2022?? Well, according to the New York Times, the Dirty Shirley is taking over this summer and becoming everyone's go-to summer cocktail! The Dirty Shirley is simply a Shirley Temple spiked most often with vodka. Well, since we love gin in this house, we couldn't resist making this drink with gin. And we know this colorful Empress 1908 Gin version will be a summer hit! If you love gin, then this Empress Dirty Shirley gin cocktail will be the drink of summer 2022 for you!

The Classic Shirley Temple

Everyone remembers ordering Shirley Temples when we were younger, pretending like we were drinking some kind of fancy "cocktail." But why should kids have all the fun??

The classic has only three ingredients: grenadine, lemon-lime soda (or ginger ale in some cases) and a maraschino cherry on top. It is sweet and syrupy due to the bright red pomegranate syrup, grenadine, and so tasty! It was only inevitable that something tasty would make its way into the adult cocktail world.

Is Gin or Vodka better in the Dirty Shirley?

As mentioned, this cocktail is generally made with vodka, but gin is just better, so we tend to choose gin for most cocktails and martinis (see our post on our Top 3 Gin Martinis for Gin Lovers). Don't get us wrong, vodka has its place, but we feel that the Dirty Shirley is so lovely with the botanicals of gin so we encourage you to switch it up and give this summer cocktail a try with gin instead.

And even better, why not choose something more colorful like we did here with Empress 1908 Gin, which is infused with butterfly pea flower giving it that gorgeous violet hue!

Enjoy!

We hope you enjoy this Empress Dirty Shirley! If you give it a try, leave us a comment below or tag us on instagram @cooking_with_wine!

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Empress Dirty Shirley Gin Cocktail

Course: CocktailsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Total time

minutes

Ingredients

¾ oz ¾ grenadine
2.5 oz 2.5 Empress 1908 Gin, divided
lemon-lime soda (e.g., Sprite or 7-Up
1 teaspoon 1 lime juice
maraschino cherry for garnish

Directions

Add grenadine to a high ball glass. Fill glass with ice, then slowly float 2 oz of Empress 1908 Gin. Next slowly float the lemon-lime soda and fill glass almost to the top. Then add ½ oz of Empress on top followed by the lime juice and garnish with a cherry. Enjoy! (see note)

Notes

Stir before drinking. The layering of this cocktail is for presentation purposes only, and the drink should be stirred to combine the different flavors before sipping.