Long before orange juice and grenadine, there was this: a tall, fizzy glass of tequila and fresh lime with a dark purple layer of crème de cassis settling at the bottom. It is drier, lighter and more refreshing than the famous 1970s version.
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Taste3.8
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Easy to make4.3
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Top with cold soda water, leaving about 2 cm at the top.
Slowly pour the crème de cassis over the ice so it sinks to the bottom.
Garnish with a lime wheel and serve with a straw for stirring.
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Watch it made
Arizona Biltmore Tequila Sunrise
Taste
Crisp, dry agave and lime with lively soda bubbles, finishing with sweet blackcurrant as the cassis mixes in. Light and refreshing.
History and origin
The Arizona Biltmore, a resort hotel in Phoenix that opened in 1929, claims an earlier and quite different Tequila Sunrise. According to the hotel's own account, bartender Gene Sulit created it in the 1930s or 1940s for a guest who wanted a refreshing drink to enjoy by the pool. His recipe combined tequila, lime juice, soda water and crème de cassis, which sinks through the glass like a sunrise.
The better-known Tequila Sunrise, made with orange juice and grenadine, was developed separately in California around 1970 and became world famous later that decade. The Biltmore still serves its original version, and bartenders often call it the "Arizona Biltmore" to tell the two apart.
Bartender tips
Pour the cassis last and slowly for the best "sunrise" layer.
Use a good crème de cassis with real blackcurrant flavour; cheap versions taste of candy.
Let the drinker stir: the drink changes from tart and dry to fruity as the cassis mixes in.
