Tequila Sunrise — 1970s hotel bar invented this grenadine-heavy drink to
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The Tequila Sunrise looks like a vacation in a glass, and that’s exactly what it was designed to do. Back in the 1970s, American hotel bars discovered they could sell a lot more tequila if they made it colorful and sweet.
Ingredients
- 2 oz tequila
- 4 oz fresh orange juice
- 1 oz grenadine syrup
- 1 orange wheel
- maraschino cherry
- Garnish: an orange wheel
- Garnish: a maraschino cherry
Method
Grab a tall Collins glass and fill it with ice — you want it packed full. Add your tequila first, then pour in the orange juice. Give it a gentle stir to combine those two. Now comes the visual magic. Pour the grenadine very slowly over the back of a bar spoon, letting it sink to the bottom of the glass. Don’t stir it in — you want distinct layers. The grenadine is heavier than the orange juice mixture, so it settles naturally and creates that sunrise gradient effect. The red at the bottom gradually transitions to orange in the middle and pale yellow at the top. That’s your sunrise happening right in the glass.
Serve
Serve this in that tall Collins glass with all the ice. Garnish with an orange wheel and a cherry on a cocktail pick.
Pro Tip
The Tequila Sunrise looks like a vacation in a glass, and that’s exactly what it was designed to do. Back in the 1970s, American hotel bars discovered they could sell a lot more tequila if they made it colorful and sweet.