August 2, 2024
This Shirley temple was ordered by my godsister, family friend, and sweet fake cousin, Megan. We were dining at the supremely instagrammable Beekman Hotel in the Financial District before a Broadway show, and so a fancy mocktail was necessary.
Megan was excited to review the drink for my blog, but when the soda was delivered to our table, we were in shock. Is this mine?…her face seemed to say….alas, it was.
When asked to describe her first sip, Megan simply said, “water.” Yikes. The Shirley was far too light in color. And it appears that the bartender (or perhaps “mixologist” would be a better term for somebody so prideful in the face of tradition) used amaretto cherry syrup instead of grenadine. Innovation is admirable. But this was a disgrace.
Megan prefers a ginger-ale based Shirley, which we must forgive her for, and so was disappointed by the lemon-lime base soda. But overall, she was most disappointed by its other elements. “Cherry flavor is down the drain,” she said. “Did they run out of grenadine?”
FINAL RATING: 2/5 maraschino cherries
