This tequila cocktail was created at the Trident bar in California by Bobby Lozoff and Billy Rice in the early 1970s. It started to get its rock-n-roll reputation after Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones tasted it at a party and loved it. The rest is history! For more tequila cocktails, try my margarita recipe, ranch water, or paloma.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Tequila — while you don’t need to break the bank with a top-shelf bottle, I recommend opting for a tequila that you enjoy the flavor of on its own. Silver tequila (also called tequila blanco) is the best choice for this classic cocktail. It’s an unaged tequila that works well with orange juice. Orange juice — freshly squeezed orange juice has the best flavor for this drink. Grenadine syrup — this sweet pomegranate-flavored syrup forms the deep red sunrise color at the bottom of the tequila cocktail. Garnish — orange slices and maraschino cherries are the classic garnish.
How to Make a Tequila Sunrise
- Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
- Add fresh orange juice and silver tequila to the glass.
- Stir well to combine them.
- Slowly pour the grenadine down the side of the glass. It is more dense than the other ingredients, so it will sink to the bottom of the glass. Do not stir before serving! Garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherry.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
Make it more tart. You can add 1/2 ounce of lime juice with the orange juice and tequila for a more tart cocktail. Use a highball glass. A tall glass really shows off the layers and colors. Play around with a different juice. You can swap the orange juice out for pineapple juice or grapefruit juice for a fun twist. No, it won’t be a classic tequila sunrise recipe, but it will still be delicious with bright citrus flavors! Add seltzer water. You can top the drink off with soda water for a slightly bubbly cocktail that mellows the sweetness of the grenadine. Don’t stir it! This is a layered drink, and stirring it once you add the grenadine will give you a pretty but monochromatic pink drink. Chill your ingredients. To keep the cocktail from watering down too quickly from fast-melting ice, chill all of the ingredients first so the ice doesn’t melt as much to bring down the cocktail’s temperature.
If you’ve tried this tequila sunrise recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
