Golden orange juice at the top, a deep red glow at the bottom and every shade between. It takes one minute and two ingredients, and it still turns heads when you carry it to the table.
5 oz
orange juice freshly squeezed if possible
½ oz
grenadine
¼ oz
lemon juice optional, to balance (optional)
Garnish: Orange slice and cherry · Ice: Ice cubes
Virgin Sunrise
Juicy and sweet: fresh orange with a berry-like grenadine sweetness that gets stronger towards the bottom of the glass.
The Virgin Sunrise is the alcohol-free take on the Tequila Sunrise. The version most people know, with tequila, orange juice and grenadine, is associated with California in the early 1970s and became famous when rock musicians of the era took it on tour. An older, quite different Tequila Sunrise with lime and crème de cassis existed before that.
The drink's appeal has always been visual: heavy grenadine sinks through the lighter orange juice and creates a gradient like the sky at dawn. Leave out the tequila and that effect stays exactly the same, which is why the Virgin Sunrise has become one of the most common mocktails at hotel bars and family restaurants.
Grenadine contains much more sugar than orange juice and is therefore heavier, so it sinks to the bottom.
Serve it unstirred for the look. The guest can stir it before drinking to mix the flavours.
Raspberry or pomegranate syrup gives the same effect with a slightly different flavour.
The perfect sound
A bright, colourful start to a sunny day.
Reader rating
Thanks for rating
Updated:
