Virgin Sunrise
Orange juice and grenadine — the Tequila Sunrise gradient (Trident Sausalito, 1972) requiring no alcohol to replicate, on family restaurant menus for decades.
- 5 ozorange juice(freshly squeezed)
- ¾ ozgrenadine
- orange slice and cherrygarnish
- 1Fill a highball glass with ice cubes
- 2Add orange juice
- 3Slowly pour grenadine down the inside of the glass
- 4Let the grenadine rise naturally creating the sunrise effect
- 5Garnish with an orange slice and cherry
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The Virgin Sunrise is a non-alcoholic interpretation of the Tequila Sunrise — the iconic gradient cocktail whose modern version was created at the Trident restaurant in Sausalito, California in 1972 by bartenders Bobby Lozoff and Billy Rice and popularized globally by the Rolling Stones. The original cocktail's defining visual element — grenadine slowly sinking through orange juice to create a red-to-orange gradient resembling a sunrise — requires no alcohol to replicate. In the Virgin version, orange juice and grenadine create the same visually dramatic presentation without tequila, demonstrating that the cocktail's most memorable quality is its appearance rather than its spirit character. The drink has appeared on American children's menus and family restaurant menus for decades as the standard non-alcoholic answer to a guest who wants something festive and visually striking.
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