Have you ever been out to dinner with a bunch of friends, and then one person orders a Shirley Temple… and then *every other person at the table* decides to order the same thing? This is a common occurrence with my high school friend group (one time, our waiter just brought us an entire pitcher for the table — seriously, best day ever), and I know we’re far from the only ones. I like to call this the Shirley Temple Effect: People often tend to forget about this iconic and delicious drink until it’s right in front of them again — and then, suddenly, it’s everywhere.
For anyone who missed out the last time this drink was trending, a Shirley Temple is basically just Sprite mixed with grenadine, a bright red pomegranate-based syrup, and it normally has a couple of Maraschino cherries in it as well, for an extra sweet (and cute) touch. It was first created in the 1930s, but Gen Zers likely remember ordering these at restaurants when they were kids while they pretended to be fancy and adult. Shirley Temples became super trendy again in 2022, especially due to the “Dirty Shirley,” a cocktail version of the drink (essentially just a normal Shirley Temple with vodka added). From 2022 to 2023, it seemed like everyone was making and ordering Shirley Temples and Dirty Shirleys. And now, based on new announcements by certain trendsetting, Gen Z-favorite brands, it looks like the Shirley Temple Effect is officially back once again in 2026.
Early on in the new year, the announcement of a new Shirley Temple-flavored soda came from not one, but two leading prebiotic soda brands: Olipop and Poppi, both of which dropped their new flavors on Jan. 5. And if I know how the Shirley Temple Effect works — and, trust me, I do — I believe this is a sign the drink is about to become ubiquitous once more.
TBH, the timing for the latest Shirley Temple resurgence couldn’t be more perfect. The year starts off with Dry January — which is essentially when people make it their goal to not drink alcohol for the entire month of January — and the Shirley Temple is a great mocktail to order and still have a fun drink! It’s also such an easy drink to spruce up, with or without booze, so I can see 2026 fully being the year we branch out with even more variations on the classic. Plus, with everything being an aesthetic these days, could you not see Shirley Temple Girl being the next fashion or beauty trend of the year? The Shirley Temple Effect has range, people!
As The It List, Her Campus’s look ahead at 2026 trends, has revealed, many old trends have already begun to make reappearances in the zeitgeist. Polka dots and capris are trending again, along with chunky sunglasses. Analog hobbies (like scrapbooking, puzzles, reading physical books — anything that’s completely non-digital) are also a thing, as is minimalist makeup and Korean skin care. So, as the Shirley Temple Effect proves, it looks like 2026 is shaping up to be a year of old favorites popping up everywhere again!