Tequila Sunrise — Party cocktail with a summer feeling
The Tequila Sunrise is probably one of the best-known and most popular tequila cocktails, with an unfortunately unjustified reputation. Because a perfectly mixed Tequila Sunrise not only looks great, it also tastes pleasantly fruity and is not as strong as other tequila cocktails. This cocktail also guarantees a summer feeling at every party.
General information about the cocktail
The Tequila Sunrise was most likely first mixed in the 1920s on a racetrack in the Mexican state of Tijuana. At the time, the cocktail consisted of a mixture of tequila, lemonade, grenadine syrup, and cassis liqueur.
Many Americans who traveled to Mexico during Prohibition got to know and love the cocktail there. They made the cocktail popular in the USA after the end of Prohibition. Since there was little or no cassis liqueur in the USA, it was simply left out and the lemonade was replaced by orange juice due to the large quantities of oranges in California.
In the 1970s, the cocktail was further enhanced in the USA with the addition of grenadine syrup. Mick Jagger is said to have fallen in love with this new version of Tequila Sunrise at an aftershow party in the Trident Bar. Mick Jagger subsequently helped the cocktail to its current level of fame.
The cocktail owes its name to its color, which reminds of the sunrise.
Tequila Sunrise
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cl tequila
- 10 cl orange juice freshly squeezed
- 2 cl lime juice freshly squeezed
- 2 cl grenadine syrup
- 1 slice orange for decoration
- 1 cocktail cherry for decoration
Preparation
- Put ice cubes in a highball glass. Ice cubes should always be preferred to crushed ice, as crushed ice would dilute the cocktail far too quickly.
- Pour the grenadine syrup into the highball glass over the ice cubes. This makes sure that the typical sunrise effect (red at the bottom and yellow at the top) is created later.
- Mix the tequila, freshly squeezed orange juice and freshly squeezed lime juice in a shaker and then pour it through a strainer into the highball glass.
- Stir briefly so that the ingredients can mix.
- Serve with a slice of orange and a cocktail cherry on the rim of the glass.
- Enjoy.
Nutrition
Tips for the perfect Tequila Sunrise:
Now, a few tips for the perfect Tequila Sunrise.
For this cocktail, you shouldn’t use a super expensive tequila because you won’t be able to fully appreciate its flavor because of the orange juice and the grenadine. But you should still make sure that the tequila used is made from 100% agave.
For perfect enjoyment and aroma, always use freshly squeezed juices or, even better, squeeze them yourself.
Leon is a food blogger, nutritionist, and passionate cocktail nerd. He loves trying out new cocktails and sharing his creations. Jonas is also one of the founders and part of the editorial team of Alcipedia.com.
