Tequila Sunrise

Clean, pure blanco tequila with sweet grenadine and delicious, subtly sour orange juice makes one of the greatest of modern classic cocktails, a drink that has a surprising place in rock ‘n’ roll history.

About this recipe

Ingredients

Don Julio® Blanco Tequila

Using the finest agave and a time-honoured distillation, Don Julio Blanco is clear, clean tequila with hints of citrus that makes it the ideal base for a range of great cocktails.

How to make

Using a jigger, measure 50ml Don Julio Blanco Tequila, 110ml orange juice and 10ml cranberry juice into the glass.

Cut a wedge of orange with a sharp knife on a cutting board and place on top of the drink to garnish your Tequila Sunrise.

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Tequila Sunrise recipe

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For information on creating mixed drink recipes, bartending information, and measurements for alcoholic drinks, visit our Bartender Guide.

and the following drinks, with similar ingredients.

A New Take on the Tequila Sunrise

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks

I wanted to make a version of the classic cocktail that doesn't cause a headache (or cavities) from its overwhelming sweetness. The key rests in ditching grenadine and going the DIY route.

In theory, there shouldn't be anything wrong with a Tequila Sunrise, an oft-maligned cocktail you might remember best from that time you mistakenly drank one in 1985. A mix of tequila, orange juice, sparkling wine, and grenadine, the drink sounds pretty dang good on paper. But there is something seriously wrong. The problem? Most store-bought grenadine is downright terrible, so sticky-sweet and packed with high-fructose corn syrup that it more closely resembles melted-down Jolly Ranchers than anything that once came from a pomegranate.

But the tequila, orange juice, and sparkling wine part? There's something great there.

My solution? It's called the Mezcal Sunset—a drink that packs all the deliciousness of its more famous cocktail cousin without any of the swim-up bar stigma.

First, I swap out tequila for mezcal, its smoky alter ego that boasts the freshness of an agave-based syrup with the complexity of a fine Scotch. The orange juice and sparkling wine go unchanged.

Now, about that grenadine bit. Sure, you could sub in pomegranate molasses—a thick, syrup-y concoction that actually tastes of the fruit that shares its name—but the stuff's expensive and might go unused in your kitchen unless you cook Middle Eastern dishes frequently. So I made my own version by combining equal parts pomegranate juice and sugar and cooking the mixture down until it's reduced to a slightly viscous, deep-red liquid. No chemicals, no artificial sweeteners—just great pomegranate flavor.

The result is something as beautiful to behold as is it delicious to drink, the pomegranate syrup sinking past the ice cubes and all the way to the bottom of the glass like a #nofilter Instagram sunset.

And you can't help but wonder why you didn't think of reinventing this drink sooner.

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Tequila Sunrise cocktail

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The Tequila Sunrise is another orange juice based cocktail, like the Screwdriver, the Orange Blossom and the Harvey Wallbanger. The long-standing appeal of these drinks is actually the orange juice – it hydrates your body and provides Vitamin C to prevent or reduce hangover effects, but you still get your alcohol kick, too.

They’re a great choice to serve guests who are just social drinkers, but they’re equally popular with more dedicated drinkers. The flavor is orange and berry, which is a generally likable combination, even for people who don’t like tequila. (If you have a guest who really doesn’t like tequila, serve them the Vodka Sunrise, which is virtually the same drink, only with the less flavorful vodka in place of the tequila.)

The Tequila Sunrise gets its name from the visual effect of the grenadine dropping to the bottom, then slowly rising. That gives it a red layer at the bottom that slowly blends into an orange layer. This method of dropping the grenadine in slowly is actually the easiest way to get the effect of a layered cocktail.

Tequila Sunrise Recipe

4 ounces orange juice (fresh squeezed is preferred)
2 ounces white tequila
1/2 ounce grenadine

Put ice cubes into a highball glass. Pour in the tequila followed by the orange juice. Now slowly pour the grenadine straight down the middle, so it sinks to the bottom. Optionally garnish with a citrus wedge or sliver of orange peel. If you find it difficult to pour slowly, here are some suggestions:

Use a pour spout over the bottle.
Pour as thin a stream as you can get out of the bottle over the back of a spoon, a technique we covered here with video, photos and instructions.
Pour your grenadine into a paper cup, crease the brim of the cup, and pour slowly at the crease.

Tequila Sunrise Cocktail Recipe

Like the changing colors of a sunrise, the beauty of this cocktail is it’s ability to change flavors as you progressively sip it to it’s conclusion hence the name Tequila Sunrise.

The look of the drink itself can remind you of the first time you sat awake staring off into the distance watching the ball of fire creep over the horizon. Each color does in fact represent a different ingredient holding it’s set of unique sweet tastes but also masking the harsh impact of straight tequila.

It’s believed to have originated in the paradise cities of Cancun and Acapulco and gained popularity in the 70’s. Try one the next time you’re visiting a Caribbean city or spend a day relaxing by the beach.

When making a Tequila Sunrise follow the directions carefully as it calls for a quick pour of Grenadine to allow it create the presentation you’re looking for.

½ Ounce Grenadine
1 Ounce Tequila
Orange Juice
Cherry for Garnish

Add ice to a highball glass first.
Add the Tequila and fill with Orange Juice leaving enough room for ½ Ounce Grenadine.
Pour the ½ Ounce Grenadine by quickly turning the bottle up to pour in a swift motion and pouring onto the side of the glass and quickly returning the bottle back to a non-pouring position to create the "sunrise" effect.

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Sweet Sunrise: The Ideal Mocktail for a Casual Brunch

3 mins
Prep: 3 mins,
Cook: 0 mins
Yield: 1 serving

Take the tequila out of the Tequila Sunrise and you have a Virgin (or Sweet) Sunrise. It is a fantastic mixed drink for any time of the day and the recipe is unbelievably easy to make.

Essentially, the Virgin Sunrise is a simple way to enhance a tall glass of orange juice. It adds the sweetness of grenadine to offset the tart citrus and because it's served on the rocks, it's quite refreshing. Once you learn the beauty of this easy mocktail, it may even replace your morning orange juice.

Teal-quila Sunrise

Appears in my Collections

About The Teal-quila Sunrise Cocktail

This fun, summer take on the Tequila Sunrise knocks out the grenadine for homemade raspberry syrup (don’t worry, it’s easy!) and a dash of blue curaçao for a drink that’s as tasty as it is colorful.

Ingredients in The Teal-quila Sunrise Cocktail

How to make The Teal-quila Sunrise Cocktail

Pour the syrup into a Highball glass and fill with crushed ice.

Add the rest of the ingredients to a shaker with ice, and shake until chilled.

Strain over the crushed ice.

Garnish with a lemon twist and raspberry.

*Raspberry syrup: In a small glass, muddle 6 raspberries. Add 6 oz simple syrup and stir. Fine-strain into a separate glass to remove the seeds.

The Tequila Sunrise Cocktail

The Tequila Sunrise Cocktail is a very popular long drink perfect for hot summer days thanks to its refreshing qualities and fruity flavors. The cocktail can be prepared in two ways, but there are many other variations as well, which change the alcohol composition, or even that of its liquid companions. This mixed drink was invented by Gene Sulit at the bar of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, some time during the 1930s-1940s.

Tequila Sunrise Cocktail picture

The name of the cocktail was suggested to its inventor by the drink’s final colors, which reminded him of a sunrise. As the denser ingredients of the drink settle on the bottom of the glass, the lighter ones stay at the surface and form a layered composition in the orange and yellow colors of the sunrise. The original version of the Tequila Sunrise cocktail, the one invented by Gene Sulit, contains the following ingredients: tequila, creme de cassis, soda water and lime juice. The other version, which is much more popular, contains ingredients like tequila, grenadine syrup and orange juice. It was invented by Billy Rice and Bobby Lazoff in the 1970s at the Trident restaurant, located in Sausalito, California.

Because it is considered a long drink in the official International Bartenders’ Association list, the Tequila Sunrise cocktail is usually served in a highball glass. However, you may find it in various types of glasses depending on the location. Here is how this mixed drink is usually prepared, and the ingredient quantities:

45 ml tequila
90 ml orange juice
15 ml grenadine juice

You take the highball glass and fill it with ice, and then you pour the tequila and the orange juice over it. The next step is to pour the grenadine juice gently, and wait for it to settle on the bottom of the glass. Under any circumstances you mustn’t stir the mixture, otherwise the whole gradual effect of the drink is lost, and you can no longer call it a Tequila Sunrise. The glass can be garnished with a slice of orange, a maraschino cherry, or even a slice of lime. Finally, here are some of the variations of Tequila Sunrise cocktail which you can have:

Tequila Sunset – the grenadine is replaced by dark rum or blackberry brandy;
Vodka Sunrise – The tequila is replaced by vodka;
Southern Sunrise – Southern Comfort instead of tequila;
Astronaut Sunrise – the orange juice is replaced by Tang;
Florida Sunrise – the same amounts of orange juice and pineapple juice are used;
Red Sea Sunrise – tequila is replaced by Sprite or lemonade in this non-alcoholic version;
Enamorada Sunrise – the grenadine syrup is replaced by Campari.

5 Reasons to Take Tequila Beyond Margaritas

Photo by Danny Kim

Margaritas are great, but there's whole world of tequila cocktails out there.

While we love a well-made margarita, sometimes it's nice to shake things up. Here are five tequila-ready cocktails that turn up the heat and give the margarita some competition.

The Paloma deserves to be more than second fiddle. The stirred combination of tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit soda is just as refreshing as a margarita. Skip the overly sweet and syrupy supermarket sodas by making your own base of grapefruit juice, simple syrup, and club soda. And to give your cocktail some smoke in no time, try grilling your citrus or substituting tequila for mezcal.

Micheladas are the Mexican cocktail that don't feel like a cocktail. Take one beer—we're partial to an inexpensive Mexican lager—pour in spiced sauce, lime juice, and salt. Stir. Drink. Have another. Try mixing in some Worcestershire sauce and tomato juice for extra savory notes. This version below includes the smoky punch of mezcal:

A Bloody "Maria"

Ah, the eye-opening brunch cocktail, made even hairier by substituting tequila for vodka. Try using canned chipotles in adobo to add some smoky dimension (and a lot of extra heat you can’t always find in bottled hot sauces).

Fans of Kir Royales will love this. This riff on a traditional Diablo is a blend of ginger beer, tequila, and crème de cassis. Sometimes made with pomegranate instead of black currant syrup, this sweet and floral cocktail is easy sipping for a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Tequila Sunrise

Time to bring a new day to the oft-despised tequila sunrise. This layered drink uses tequila, orange juice, and grenadine—kind of like an orange margarita. The name comes from the separation of syrup and orange juice, best seen in a highball glass. The drink’s bad reputation comes from the poor quality of syrup, and from the bad decisions a hefty pour of tequila can inspire. The store-bought versions of grenadine are saturated with artificial flavoring and coloring—make your own or buy a high quality version. And if you really can’t shake the craving for a blender drink, make a frozen-over tequila sunrise.

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