Vodka Sunrise Recipe: Orange, Vodka and Grenadine

Ingredients

1½ oz vodkae.g. Absolut · Smirnoff · Grey Goose · Ketel One · Belvedere
3½ oz orange juice
½ oz grenadine

Garnish: Orange slice and cherry · Ice: Ice cubes

Method

Fill a highball glass with ice cubes.
Pour in the vodka and orange juice and stir.
Slowly pour the grenadine down the inside of the glass or over the back of a spoon so it sinks to the bottom.
Do not stir again; let the colors form a gradient.
Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.

Watch it made

Vodka Sunrise

Taste

Sweet and juicy with ripe orange, red-berry grenadine that gets stronger toward the bottom and a clean vodka warmth. Light and easy to drink.

History and origin

The Vodka Sunrise is a variation of the Tequila Sunrise. The best-known version of that drink, tequila, orange juice and grenadine, became popular in California in the early 1970s and spread worldwide after rock musicians of the era made it famous. An earlier and quite different Tequila Sunrise with crème de cassis and lime is associated with the Arizona Biltmore hotel in the 1930s.

Swapping tequila for vodka produces a milder, more neutral drink that is essentially a Screwdriver with grenadine. There is no known creator; like many vodka versions of classic highballs, it spread simply because vodka was the most common spirit behind the bar.

Bartender tips

Freshly squeezed orange juice makes a huge difference in flavor and gives a brighter color.
Pour the grenadine slowly and close to the surface; it is denser than juice and will sink on its own.
Serve with a straw so each sip can be taken from the top or the bottom.

Variations

Tequila Sunrise: The original with blanco tequila instead of vodka.
Screwdriver: Vodka and orange juice without the grenadine.
Rum Sunrise: White rum instead of vodka for a slightly sweeter, more tropical drink.