The Cocktail Hour - Tequila Sunrise

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Lynt under CC-BY-SA license

The Tequila Sunrise is a very visual drink, the name coming from the effect of the red grenadine sitting on the bottom of the orange drink, giving it the illusion of a sunrise.  It's a great change-of-pace beach drink when you get tired of the saltiness of your margarita or the heaviness of your pina colada.  Being that it's full of orange juice, it's also a great source of vitamin C while you sitting in the sun (hey, gotta bring the positives!).

Watch the Video!

The problem I've had with this drink in the past is that the classic recipe...orange juice, tequila, and grenadine only...has left me with an aftertaste that can best be described as "children's aspirin" taste...the St. Joseph's effect.  It tastes good, but that aftertaste is a bit annoying.  Even at the great bars that dot the beaches of Mexico, I still had that taste.  The recipe below is my adaption of the classic and uses pineapple and lime juice to eliminate that aftertaste.


TEQUILA SUNRISE (1 drink)

2 oz. - tequila
2-3 oz. - orange juice
2-3 oz. - pineapple juice
spash of lime juice
splash of grenadine


Take a highball glass and fill 2/3 with crushed ice.  Pour in the tequila.  Fill about halfway to the top with orange juice.  Pour in a splash of lime juice or squeeze half a fresh lime into the glass.  Complete the fill of the glass with the pineapple juice.  Stir the contents.  Pour a splash of grenadine along one side...note - do not pour over the top of the drink...the grenadine is denser than the liquid in the glass and will soon sink to the bottom.  Do not stir the drink, you want the grenadine on the bottom when you serve so you get the sunrise effect.  Once you start drinking it, it will mix in but let your guests to the mixing or you'll just end up with a pink drink.


Cheers!

Darryl