I recently tried the Dirty Shirley, which has been declared the drink of the summer. Kristie Hoang/Insider/Anneta Konstantinides/Insider The Dirty Shirley has been hailed the drink of the summer since it began popping up all over TikTok. I tried the drink — an alcoholic Shirley Temple — at Bar Lis, a celebrity hot spot in Hollywood.
The Dirty Shirley is easy, light, and fun — and full of childhood nostalgia. First there was the Aperol Spritz, then there was the espresso martini. Now, get ready for the Dirty Shirley.
The Dirty Shirley has been declared the drink of the summer. bhofack2/Getty ImagesThe Dirty Shirley — a Shirley Temple with alcohol — has been declared the drink of the summer by The New York Times since it began popping up all over TikTok. I’ve been checking out the most exciting new bars and drinks for Insider’s Happy Hour series, so I decided to find out a bit more about the Dirty Shirley — and obviously take it for a test spin.
The Dirty Shirley is a grown-up version of everyone’s favorite childhood drink. The Dirty Shirley was inspired by the Shirley Temple. LauriPatterson/Getty ImagesLegends abound over the origin of the Shirley Temple, which traditionally features ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, grenadine, and maraschino cherries.
One rumor claimed that the iconic child star was once out with her parents and was jealous she couldn’t have an Old Fashioned with them, so the restaurant created a non-alcoholic version with a cherry on top. The Royal Hawaiian Hotel said it was their bartenders who created the drink for Shirley Temple, who often vacationed there. But in 1986, Temple told NPR that the drink was actually created at Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood in the mid-1930s and she “had nothing to do with it.
” In fact, she wasn’t even a fan. “All over the world, I am served that,” she said. “People think it’s funny.
I hate them. Too sweet!” Unlike the child star, I’m a huge fan of Shirley Temples. I drank them all the time as a kid, thinking it made me fancy as I sat with my parents in whatever suburban chain we were into at the time (Marie’s Callender’s, Applebee’s, etc.
). Catching the cherry stem with my straw felt like a special expedition, and it was such a treat slurping down the bright-red concoction. It’s probably no surprise that I grew up to love sweet coffees and cocktails.
People have various theories on what inspired the Dirty Shirley craze. Bar Lis manager Kariza Ratliff making a Dirty Shirley. Kristie Hoang/InsiderManhattan bar owner Ashwin Deshmukh, who told The Times it was going to be a “volcanic summer of Dirty Shirleys,” theorized that the cocktail was inspired by the suburbs.
“I really believe it’s the drink of the summer in New York City because everyone’s back and they’re bringing their post-suburban ironic taste with them,” he said. Meanwhile, Tammie Teclemariam, the diner-at-large at New York Magazine, recently declared that “nobody over the age of 22 should be ordering a Dirty Shirley. ” Her proclamation made me wonder if the Dirty Shirley was a legitimate trend, or just the most popular drink at Phebe’s and 310 (if you’ve been a 20-something living in the East Village, you know what I mean).
The Dirty Shirley wave hasn’t yet swept LA, where I now call home, but I needed to see what all the hype was about — and if you could still feel like a grown-up while slurping it down. I tried the Dirty Shirley on a recent visit to Bar Lis, a celebrity hot spot in Hollywood. The open-air bar at Bar Lis.
Michael MundyBar Lis, which sits on top of the Thompson Hollywood, has attracted everyone from Malia Obama to Robert Pattinson with its Cote D’Azur atmosphere. The rooftop spot is styled to embody the sophistication and escapism of the South of France. There’s a perfect view of the Hollywood sign at the open-air bar, while vintage photographs cover the interior’s chic navy walls.
Cocktails on the menu have names like “Jane Birkin” and “La Vie En Rose. ” It feels like you’re strolling in a Fitzgerald novel, or about to run into Brigitte Bardot. Bar Lis manager Kariza Ratliff wanted to put a special spin on the Dirty Shirley.
Ratliff with the Dirty Shirley. Kristie Hoang/Insider”I know this is blowing up right now,” Ratliff told me. “For us, it’s very important to keep it elevated, so we use hibiscus syrup, which we make in-house with fresh hibiscus flowers — which is really fantastic.
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tiktok. com/@foodinsider”>@foodinsider Is the Dirty Shirley the drink of the summer?
