Hearing “Shirley Temple” makes me think of the animal cracker song long before the mocktail. Still, my curiosity was definitely piqued when a little birdie sent me the image seen above a while back. Yes, it looks like 7UP is launching a Shirley Temple-flavored soda this winter—in regular and zero sugar!
Remind me what a Shirley Temple is?
According to a Google search I just did, a Shirley Temple is “the original mocktail,” named after the child actress. The drink is traditionally made with lemon-lime soda or ginger ale, a splash of grenadine, and topped with a maraschino cherry. (Per a 1986 NPR interview, Shirley Temple herself was not actually a fan of the drink.) It’s a little funny that the lemon-lime soda most associated with a specific cocktail is now releasing a variant themed after a mocktail.
So… it’s Pomegranate-Cherry 7UP?
Pretty much! Per the text at the bottom of the cans, it does appear this will be a “Pomegranate and Cherry Soda.” It’s not too surprising since 7UP has made Pomegranate and Cherry variants already, but this would be the first combination of the two flavors for the brand.
Those cans look different; did 7UP get a glow-UP?
Yes, 7UP redesigned their labels earlier this summer following a prime example of what I’ve coined “un-rebranding.” They’ve changed their logo to an amalgamation of a few different logo designs that will look familiar to anyone who drank 7UP in the 1980s. It’s all the rage right now.
Why do all the lemon-lime sodas do their limited edition flavors in the winter?
Folks, I wish I knew. This year alone, Sprite is launching two different winter variants, Starry is launching their first holiday flavor ever, and now 7UP is entering the fray. I’m sure there’s smart, big business reasons for this, but it is downright incomprehensible to the layman. Even I, someone who thinks about soda a lot more than the average Joe, cannot think of an obvious reason for “lemon-lime” to be the soda subgenre that sees the most cold weather variants.
When is this new 7UP flavor hitting shelves?
Both the regular and zero sugar variants of 7UP Shirley Temple Soda are expected to arrive on shelves this October. We know they’ll be available in 2-liters and 12oz can 12-packs; at this time, it’s unknown whether this will be available in other bottled formats.
Q4 (Oct-Dec) is the largest selling season for Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSDs). Clear CSDs (7UP, Sprite, Squirt, Ginger Ales) perform particularly well during this season as mix-ins or bases to holiday punches.