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Monday, August 20, 2018

Ruthie Makes Shirley Temples and Roy Rogers

Just the right addition to any end of summer parties you might be planning!

The summer’s winding down, but the heat definitely isn’t going anywhere. In the days before air conditioning was in almost every American household, people needed to get creative to find ways to beat the heat. 

One of the most popular for kids like Ruthie Smithens – and her best friend Kit Kittredge, of course! – was going to the movies. Movie theaters offered cheap entertainment and a nice, dark, cool theater to shelter inside on those hot summer days during the Depression. Getting lost in the stories on the silver screen also helped distract viewers from the struggles of everyday life during hard times. 

These two drinks get their names from some of the most famous movie stars of the time, and they’re delightfully simple to make. Read on to learn the history of two of the most famous mocktails ever created!


If Ruthie ever planned an afternoon garden party celebrating her favorite movie stars, I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to feature one of these two drinks on the menu! 

Shirley Temple is probably the most famous child star in history. She began her career in film in 1932 and from 1935 to 1938, she was Hollywood’s biggest box office draw. Her often light hearted comedic films were credited as a major morale booster during the Depression by Franklin Roosevelt himself. "It is a splendid thing that for just fifteen cents, an American can go to a movie and look at the smiling face of a baby and forget his troubles," the President said. Temple and her parents were even invited to a cookout at the Roosevelt’s home in Hyde Park, where Shirley used her ever present slingshot to hit Eleanor Roosevelt in the behind. 

The Shirley Temple – a mocktail traditionally made with ginger ale, grenadine syrup, and garnished with maraschino cherry – also rose to prominence in the 1930’s, but its origins are a little murky. The Brown Derby and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel have both claimed the drink originated with them, but the reality is, no one really knows when the first drink was made. Some have suggested the drink was made for the young Temple when at a cast party or other gathering with grown up Hollywood stars, as it was a way for the young girl to feel grown up and sophisticated. 

Funnily enough, Temple was quoted as saying she hated the drink that bears her name. In an interview many years after her stint as Hollywood’s sweetheart, she said the drink was much too sweet for her tastes. She didn’t offer any insights into the drink’s origin, either. 

The drink has remained popular as a fancy offering for younger guests at restaurants, although its counterpart, named for Roy Rogers, seems to be a little less common on menus these days. 

Roy Rogers got his big break a little after Temple’s, but the “King of Cowboys” starred in plenty of films during the 1930’s, sometimes even appearing in uncredited roles. The history of the drink named in his honor is also pretty murky. Rogers famously did not drink alcohol, so it makes sense a mocktail would be named in his honor, but it’s also possible it was just a way of creating a “boy’s” version of a Shirley Temple. I guess it embarrassed boys to order a drink named after a female movie star? Or it’s just another example of people needlessly gendering non gendered things. 

Both Temple and Rogers also benefited from licensed merchandise using their name and likenesses. Shirley Temple dolls are considered highly collectible for many doll enthusiasts – although I find their toothy grins pretty unsettling, if I’m being honest – and Roy Rogers might be best known to modern children for the chain of restaurants that still bears his name. 

Anyway, both drinks are extremely easy to make. All you really need to do is fill a glass with ice and add a tablespoon or so of grenadine syrup…


Fill it with ginger ale (for a Shirley Temple) or cola (for a Roy Rogers) and garnish with a maraschino cherry. Or two. Or three.


And there you have it! 


Shirley Temples can also be made with a lemon-lime soda like Sprite if you prefer. 

Either way, they're nice additions to any end of summer gathering you might be hosting.


In all fairness to their namesake, Shirley Temples are indeed extremely sugary sweet, and so they're definitely not for everyone. However, they're also caffeine free, so as far as fancy drinks to give to kids so they don't feel left out at fancy Hollywood restaurants, you could do worse. 

I hope you've enjoyed our look back at one of the most iconic American mocktails. Have you enjoyed any refreshing drinks this summer?

I know I've enjoyed a couple of these tasty drinks over the last few weeks...

3 comments:

  1. I had no idea you would call that a Roy Rogers. We did this all the time. We just called it a Shirley Temple with Coke ;)

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    1. That works too! I have to admit I've almost never seen them listed on menus as an option to order.

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  2. I love Shirley Temples. I have lots of little nieces, I might make these the next time we adults have cocktails.

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