And a Cocktail for the Little Lady

A Non-Alcoholic One Of Course

The kid loves her Shirley Temples!

This is all my sister’s fault, of course.

We’re at an Asian restaurant for lunch and as she almost always does, Little Bean orders a Shirley Temple. She loves them.

Now, up until my sister, Little Bean’s aunt, introduced her to that particular drink, I was under the assumption a Shirley Temple was an alcoholic drink. I don’t drink myself so had no idea.

Imagine my surprise when Little Bean told me her auntie got her a Shirley Temple! Anyway, once I learned that a Shirley Temple was actually (among other things) Ginger Ale and Cherry, I felt better that my sister was not boozing up my daughter.

A few months back in Nashville, I took my daughter out on a daddy/daughter ‘date’ where we wined and dined on catfish and alfredo and chicken fingers, and the waitress absolutely went over board on the Shirley Temple, basically giving Little Bean a unending supply line of Maraschino Cherries for her drink. So kind were they to her, that after we ate she gave her waitress a little stuffed animal present. (Nice tip as well.)

Incidentally, there IS an alcohol version of the Shirley Temple which apparently is called a Dirty Shirley and involves vodka.

The Starbucks version of this cocktail that she likes is called a Pink Drink, that’s coconut milk and passion-fruit. Though once, we ordered that and they were out so the barista did make her some kind of version of a Shirley Temple, but she said it wasn’t very good. (She still drank it, of course.)

This is all very exotic sounding. I mean, I feel like the most wild thing I was drinking at ten was 7-UP. Remember that? Sure you do!

I like that she’s developing her favorite tastes, and do hope that continues. We’re currently working on sushi and she’d basically eat noodles exclusively if we let her. But the idea of a ten year old with a favorite cocktail amuses me. I wonder what else my sister has in store for her!