Tequila Sunrise with a dried orange wheel.
The Tequila Sunrise is all about the picture. Tequila and orange juice over ice, then a slow pour of grenadine that sinks to the bottom and bleeds back up through the glass like a sunrise. It's an easy drink to make badly and a striking one to make well, and the difference is mostly patience.
The garnish usually goes one of two soggy ways: a fresh orange half-moon hooked on the rim, or a cherry that nobody eats. A dried orange wheel floats on the surface, keeps its colour against the gradient, and finishes the picture instead of cluttering it.
What you'll need
- 45ml blanco tequila
- 120ml fresh orange juice
- 10ml grenadine
- 1 dried orange wheel
- Ice, to fill
How to make it
- Fill a tall glass with ice. The gradient needs the height, so reach for a highball.
- Pour in the tequila and orange juice, then give it a brief stir to combine.
- Slowly pour the grenadine down the inside of the glass. Let it sink; don't stir it. It should settle at the bottom and rise in a slow blush.
- Float a dried orange wheel on top to finish.
Why dried beats fresh here
A fresh orange slice is heavy and wet, and it sinks or slumps against the rim where it fights the gradient you just made. A dried orange wheel sits flat on the surface, holds a deep colour that reads against the red below it, and gives you rind aroma without leaking juice into a drink that already has plenty.
The dried wheel also survives the long, slow sipping this drink invites. While the ice melts and the sunrise fades, the garnish stays exactly where you put it, looking like you meant it.
Use the Orange jar, about 25 wheels, enough for a season of sunrises.