Celebrate life’s special moments with this twist to a classic mocktail for kids: The pomegranate Shirley Temple drink! Find more of my pomegranate recipes.

I grew up eating pretty good food. Whether it was shrimp etouffee cooked at home or Tex Mex at a local restaurant, my parents introduced me to many foods from many different cultures. And that is another reason why I do the same with my kids.
One childhood memory I have is celebrating special achievements and occasions at a fancy Italian restaurant. It was here where I enjoyed my first mocktail, The Shirley Temple drink.
Although the origins of the drink remain in question, the drink is named after a famous child actress of the 1930s-1940s.
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Recipe highlights
- Grenadine: Originally grenadine was made with pomegranate juice and sugar that is reduced down to a syrup, basically pomegranate molasses. Well, today commercial grenadine is a combination of corn syrup, food coloring and citric acid.
- Real Ingredients: I created a Shirley Temple drink that isn’t filled with artificial colors and flavors. It was time to get down to the basics.
- Flavor: To boost the fruity pomegranate flavor, this recipe uses pomegranate concentrate. The result? It tastes even better than the original!
Ingredients needed:
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- Pomegranate Concentrate: Pomegranate concentrate is basically pomegranate juice that is reduced down to a syrup, but with zero added sugar. You can also use pomegranate molasses (store bought or homemade), which includes sugar.
- Ginger Ale: This is base of the mocktail. If you are watching your sugar intake, you can use sugar-free ginger ale.
Simply combine and serve over ice!
Expert tips and recipe FAQs
If you like this Shirley Temple, why not try my pomegranate iced tea. You should also try my pomegranate shrub, which can be used in cocktails or mocktails!
Storing Instructions
TO STORE: This drink is best when freshly made. The fizz from the ginger ale will dissipate after a few hours.
The Pomegranate Shirley Temple Drink
Ingredients
- 1 cup ice
- 6 oz ginger ale
- 1 oz pomegranate concentrate
- 1 teaspoon pomegranate arils optional
Instructions
- Fill a glass with ice.
- Pour in pomegranate concentrate and ginger ale.
- Stir to combine and top with pomegranate arils.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
congrats to your son 🙂
the ginger ale looks wonderful
I like the colourful presentation of the drink looks fabulous
First of all, congrats on your son’s graduation from elementary school! Yes, that’s a huge milestone! You are really funny, Laura. I love your writing style. You are not that different from me! Elastic pants? Oh I’m wearing it right now. LOL. Hmm, what a pretty drink!
A cute, bubbly drink. Thanks for sharing!
I want to let you know the you’r being nominated for an award, check out my blog for details http://www.basicndelicious.blogspot.com.
The little things make life special. Not salon perfect hair (mine is always a mess). I love your outlook 🙂
Ginger beer for me all the way.
I like the fact that you obviously remind yourself often of what you have and you don’t dwell too much on what you don’t. More people should have your philosophy on life.
Laura, I had to snicker while I read your post:) My sister and her husband travel the world (they live in Germany where they are alotted 6 weeks of vacation time! Plus, my BIL is a scuba instructor and he takes groups all over for diving). Of course, they don’t have kids and they are free to roam around while I live vicariously looking from the photos from Maldives, Thailand, Tahiti, Costa Rica, and Egypt. Yeah, yeah, I love my sister, but I cannot wait to get out of my pajamas and be glamorous:) As if:) But our lives are… Read more »
” . . . fan our flame of love .” Good line! And Seagram’s is the only ginger ale worth having. Which reminds me, it’s been ages since I’ve had a ginger ale! And I’ve never had a Shirley Temple. Although (unless I get too busy) I’m going to be making my own homemade grenadine in a bit, so who knows what I’ll do with it? Really fun post – thanks.
Actually, I am a secret ginger ale junkie myself – truly. At cocktail parties, I tend to order one and pretend it is something stronger, just watching others get bombed. I have a recipe for making the stuff homemade but have yet to try it.
Oh Laura, now you have let the cat out of the bag, haven’t you!! What is the easiest travel route out of Australia, do you think? To the US, Canada, Mexico, England, Scandinavia and all points N, S, E and W 🙂 ! All within an hour or so? I happen to be sitting here, quite late in the evening in a very comfortable nightgown and warm Ugg boots [? for you?] and just wish I had that beautiful Pomegranate . . . mmm . . . perhaps it would not quite be a Shirley Temple!!!! And congratulations to parents… Read more »
Yup, sitting here reading this, hair in a ponytail, baby napping, dishes to do – it’s not always glamorous, but I wouldn’t change my life either!
Thanks for sharing. The drink looks delicious – wonderful colour!
Oh, I’m loving that drink – this reminds me of ordering a Shirley Temple as a “special” drink long ago. Gorgeous color!