contemporary · built
Tequila Sunrise recipe
Tequila and orange juice with a grenadine sunrise.
A Tequila Sunrise is 45 ml (42.3 g) Tequila, 90 ml (93.6 g) Orange Juice and 15 ml (17.7 g) Grenadine, built and served in a highball glass. It pours to about 150 ml before ice, at roughly 12% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasshighball glass
- Methodbuilt
- Pour volume150 ml
- Strength (est.)12% ABV
- Time2 min
Tequila Sunrise ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tequila | 45 ml | 42.3 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Orange Juice | 90 ml | 93.6 g | 1.04 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Grenadine | 15 ml | 17.7 g | 1.18 | Weighed by the coaster |
How to make a Tequila Sunrise
- Set your highball glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Fill the highball glass with fresh ice.
- Build Tequila, Orange Juice and Grenadine straight into the glass, weighing each pour.
- Stir once, briefly, to combine.
Tequila Sunrise: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Tequila Sunrise?
Roughly 12% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Medium strength. About the same as a fortified wine, poured short.
What glass should a Tequila Sunrise be served in?
A highball glass. Fill it with fresh ice, not the ice you mixed with.
Can I make a Tequila Sunrise without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
If you like the Tequila Sunrise
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Julio Bermejo's two-ingredient riff — agave nectar instead of orange liqueur.
Paloma
Mexico's favourite highball. Tequila and grapefruit, over ice.
Grand Margarita
A Margarita built up with Grand Marnier and a touch of agave.
Soweto Sunrise
A township twist on the sunrise — vodka and orange juice over a slow-sinking grenadine dawn.
Monkey Gland
Gin and orange juice with absinthe and grenadine.