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CORBY’S

Do you remember the first guy in your high school to get a tattoo? That’s the Dirty Shirley down at Corby’s. He’s a pretty good guy, yes, and you like running into him, sure, but you probably aren’t texting him to meet up over Christmas break. If your buddy buys you a Dirty Shirley down at Corby’s you certainly won’t complain, but the next trip up to the bar won’t see you doubling down on this grenadine-heavy concoction.

 

NEWFS

Finnies Next Door’s Dirty Shirley is the bar itself boiled down into a cup. If you haven’t been to Newfs, it’s pretty simple: the more fun you have there, the worse you’ll feel about it the next morning. Their Dirty Shirley is the same. However good it is going down is how bad you’ll feel when you wake up.

 

COOL RUNNINGS

As someone of the legal drinking age, I was of course turned away from this lovely Jamaican restaurant turned totally freshman bar. The line of nervous students patiently awaiting their moment of truth brought back fond memories of my own 19-year-old angst outside the Garage Arcade Bar. Ahh, to be baby faced and memorizing my new address in line. It’s a tale as old as “Cheers” — just watch out for Excise, kids.

 

OLFS

Sometimes simple is just perfect. Think Forrest Gump. Sometimes simple leaves you wanting. Think the DeBart urinal setup. You can rely on the Dirty Shirley at Original Finnies falling somewhere along this spectrum of simplicity. But maybe it's not the Shirley that's changing, just the attitude of its drinker. If you’re looking to party, Olfs’ Shirley will get you dancing. If you weren’t sure about the trip to the bar tonight, it will go down slow and have you second-guessing your go-to moves. I don’t know how they're mixing it up, but the Shirley down at Original Finnies will make your basest desires known to you, whether you want it to or not.

 

BROTHERS

Now this is a Dirty Shirley. The best in town? Maybe. The best on this list? For sure. If you’re one of the bartenders at any of our other beloved local establishments and wondering what earns it that special distinction, it’s simple: the cherry. I don’t know why the others refuse to toss one in. Not for students? Red 40 poisoning? Cherryflation? To heck with these rampant excuses! If you’re a person of true class searching for a Shirley that won’t disappoint, Brothers will come through for you. Sweet, bubbly, strong, with that bright red cherry nestled among the ice. It can lift you out of a funk or make your good night something altogether transcendent.

 

BACKER

Let’s not be ridiculous, the Linebacker Lounge is for Jägerbombs and giant Miller Lites. Any other order goes against the spirit that inhabits Notre Dame’s grittiest bar.