7 Drinks Like The Dirty Shirley That’ll Bring The Nostalgia

A three-ingredient cocktail with colors as stunning as its name suggests. All you need to create this summery drink is tequila, orange juice, and grenadine, layered in a tall glass in that order. The first tequila sunrise was poured in the 1930s by Gene Sulit of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel who made it with soda water, lime juice, and liqueur. The drink really took off in the early ‘70s in Sausalito, California, when it took on its modern-day form with orange juice and grenadine. ICYDK, the Rolling Stones apparently popularized the drink during their 1972 tour.

This brightly colored mixture comes from the equally vibrant island country of Singapore, where it was first invented in 1915 by ​​Raffles Singapore bartender Ngiam Tong Boon. The original Singapore Sling contains grenadine and cherry liqueur, according to Raffles Singapore, but variations of the drink have omitted grenadine and incorporated pineapple juice for a tropical twist instead, relying on cherry liqueur to give it its reddish hue. The key is Bénédictine liqueur for the drink's herbal infusion.

You’ve had gin fizz, but have you had a grenadine fizz? TikToker @megs.creative.kitchen’s creations will make you rethink going to a bar for cocktails. The “pink gin fizz” takes the foundations of a gin fizz, strips away the egg white and simple syrup, then kicks it up a notch with grenadine and lemonade, in place of soda water. Not only does it make the recipe easier, it introduces more complex flavors of tartness and acidity. To top it off, yassify the already stunning drink with lemon slices.

Close your eyes, and let this cocktail transport you back in time to pre-Prohibition days of the 1880s as you sip on the refreshingly fruity gin mix that was ahead of its time. A drink that is still popular today, it saw its ups and downs since being invented at the Philadelphia men’s club of the same name. To make the drink, you’ll need gin, lemon juice, one egg white, and raspberry syrup or fresh raspberries. TikToker @likeablecocktails muddles fresh raspberries in this recipe to give it the signature pink tone and sweet flavor.

This cocktail will take you on a whirlwind of flavors that originated in the early 1940s at Pat O’Brien’s New Orleans bar. The bar is still open and shaking up plenty of Hurricane cocktails. It was invented at a time when there was a shortage of whiskey but heaps of rum to go around, hence why the recipe calls for both light and dark rum. Its similarity to the Dirty Shirley comes from its addition of grenadine, which gives it the pop of color it’s known for.

As summery as it gets, the Malibu Sunset is named aptly after the coconut-flavored rum that the recipe is built around. It’s oh-so similar to the Dirty Shirley, even down to the maraschino cherry. If you already have the ingredients from making a Dirty Shirley, you’ll only need to add pineapple and orange juice to the mix, to replace the soda. Layering the drink will give it the same gradient effect as the tequila sunrise. Sunset or sunrise, this drink is great for a boozy brunch or cocktail party.

If you don’t drink alcohol, this mocktail that rose to popularity on TikTok in April 2022 might be your new party go-to. It’s fun, it’s nostalgic, it’s diet soda with coconut creamer, lime juice, and half and half. Utah’s Swig coined the Dirty Soda in 2010 and it has become a local favorite since. Even Olivia Rodrigo gave the drink a try, and it instantly went viral on social media.