Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Tequila Sunrise

Tequila and orange juice with a sink of grenadine that blooms from the bottom up like a sunrise. As pretty as it is easy.

Preparation~2 minSuper easyStrengthMediumabout 12% ABVMethodBuilt in glass6 guided stepsIngredients3Tall (highball) glass

Highball

In the glassTequila (blanco) · Orange juice · Grenadine

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What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear highball glass with tall straight sides and a substantial base. — Serving glassHighball glass

Set up before you pour

Use a highball glass.

The tall, straight shape leaves room for plenty of ice and mixer while keeping a long drink lively.

Standard size: 350 ml11¾ oz
Ice & serve: Fill it with fresh ice cubes.
If you don’t own one: Use a Collins glass or any tall, straight-sided tumbler.

Tools to set out

jigger or measuring spoon

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Scale to your tall (highball) glassWe’ll remember this glass size.

Tequila (blanco)45 ml
Orange juice90 ml
Grenadine15 ml

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From bottle to glass

Method

01
Ice the glass
Fill the glass with ice
02
Measure and pour
Pour 45 ml tequila
- Tequila (blanco)
03
Measure and pour
Add 90 ml orange juice
- Orange juice
04
Stir around the ice
Stir gently to combine
05
Top gently
Top with 15 ml grenadine
- Grenadine
06
Finish the drink
Finish it — add an orange slice and a cocktail cherry

Know your drink

About the Tequila Sunrise

A salt-rimmed Margarita, coral Paloma and mezcal rocks drink on an agave terrace.

Before the Stones tour

Tijuana had a Tequila Sunrise in the 1930s, and it was a different drink: tequila, crème de cassis, lime and soda, no orange juice anywhere. What you know now is usually credited to bartenders at the Trident in Sausalito around 1972, and it spread because the Rolling Stones adopted it on their American tour that year. An Eagles song the following year finished the job.

Blanco tequila is the right call. Reposado’s oak fights the orange juice, and anything aged longer is wasted under a full glass of it. Juice the oranges the same morning if you can. Cartoned juice is pasteurized and tastes cooked next to fresh, which matters more here than in almost any other drink, since orange is doing most of the work.

Common questions

Tequila Sunrise FAQ

How do you get the sunrise effect?

Build the tequila and orange juice over ice first, then pour the grenadine slowly down the inside of the glass (or over a spoon). Grenadine is denser than juice, so it sinks and grades upward from red to orange. Don’t stir — serve it photogenic and let the first sip mix it.

What is grenadine actually made of?

Real grenadine is pomegranate syrup (grenade is French for pomegranate) — tart as well as sweet. Many commercial bottles are just red corn syrup; a pomegranate-based one noticeably improves the drink.

How strong is a Tequila Sunrise?

A standard Tequila Sunrise is roughly 12% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it about as strong as a glass of wine.

Is a Tequila Sunrise shaken or stirred?

A Tequila Sunrise is built directly in the glass over ice — no shaker required. Add the ingredients in order and give it a brief, gentle stir.

What glass do you serve a Tequila Sunrise in?

Serve a Tequila Sunrise in a highball (tall) glass, over fresh ice cubes.

How many calories are in a Tequila Sunrise?

One Tequila Sunrise has approximately 180 calories, estimated from the standard spec above. Bigger pours, extra syrup or sweetened mixers raise that number quickly.

Sharpen the technique