Tequila Sunrise Mocktail

My Tequila Sunrise Mocktail has all of the flavor and fun of the original vibrantly layered cocktail without the alcohol. Made with lime and mint and a surprise burst of pineapple, you’ll feel like you’re having brunch in the Bahamas!

Save This Recipe! 💌

I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later, plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!

I agree to be receive new recipes from But First We Brunch

Just because you’re alcohol free doesn’t mean your beverages have to be boring. Whether it's Dry January, you're pregnant, you are eight years old, or you choose sobriety, you too deserve a cute little cocktail and my Tequila Sunrise Mocktail is for you!

A delightful change from boring orange juice, you can serve this easy sunrise mocktail recipe for breakfast or brunch, at a Summer gathering, or as a nonalcoholic drink option at a party - you'll be sipping on sunshine in no time and this will become your favorite mocktail!

This delicious virgin sunrise mocktail recipe is super simple. All you have to do is pour a couple of things into a glass. First, although it's not required, but I like to muddle a slice of lime and a few mint leaves in the bottom of a tall glass to add a little lime juice and mint zip. Then you just layer in orange juice, some seltzer, and a splash of grenadine syrup to get that sunrise effect. A sprig of mint and an orange slice are just for fancy reasons.

Ingredients and substitutions

There are just a few simple ingredients in this easy tequila sunrise mocktail, but there's definitely room to play around. Let's explore our options.

• Orange juice - I prefer to use a blend of orange juice and pineapple juice because it tastes smoother and less acidic and I like the tropical vibe it gives my mocktail. You can also use half orange juice and half pineapple juice if you can't find the pre-blended bottle or you can substitute with your preferred orange juice or orange juice blend. Or hey, fresh squeeze your juice. Go off.
• Grenadine - This is easily found in liquor or package stores, in the water and seltzer aisle of most grocery stores, or you can order it online.
• Mint - Completely optional, but I love the flavor and aroma that mint gives my mocktail. Just smelling the sprig of mint as I sip my sweet sunrise makes it seem more tropical, but that might just be me 🙃
• Slice of orange -  A tequila sunrise cocktail is typically topped with a maraschino cherry, but quite frankly, I hate them (see my banana bread recipe for details of my trauma). I prefer a nice orange wedge or slice  on the side of the glass, along with the aforementioned mint sprig, but go with your heart.
• Seltzer - I typically use lime seltzer. It's great if you don't have fresh limes available but you still want that lime flavor. But you can absolutely use any seltzer you prefer or even lemon-lime soda. If you want to make something more in line with the classic tequila sunrise you could try a tequila alternative such as Ritual non-alcoholic tequila or Seedlip non alcoholic spirit.

What is grenadine syrup?

Remember drinking those Shirley Temple's when you were a kid? They were pretty much 7Up with grenadine. Because they loaded our drinks with maraschino cherries, I always thought grenadine was cherry syrup. Nope. They tricked us!

Grenadine is pomegranate juice reduced down with sugar, with a little lemon juice added at the end. It brings a nice sweetness to cocktails and mocktails while also adding a little bit of acidity. It's not just for Shirley Temples, but is an essential ingredient in classic cocktails such as a Mai Tai, a SIngapore Sling, and of course an Original Tequila Sunrise, or this sunrise mocktail drink.

Note: Grenadine is a heavy syrup, which is what makes it sink to the bottom of your drink. If you don't want to use grenadine, or you can't find it, try pomegranate syrup, cherry juice, a splash of cranberry juice, or even the juice from a jar of maraschino cherries, but may not get the same layered effect.

Variation

Try this: Replace half of your orange juice with grapefruit juice and treat yourself to a Sunset Mocktail. The tartness of the grapefruit juice plays perfectly with the sweetness of the grenadine, for a more rounded flavor profile.

Every bartender and every recipe blog has a different idea of what different variations should be called, but my mother was a bartender for most of my childhood, and this is what she called it and I always listen to my mom. Don't come for me.

Instructions

I debated whether to have process shots or not, because it's primarily pouring stuff, and how boring is that? But, I had a pretty sunny day, and I was thirsty, so here's some pictures of me pouring stuff. 

(p.s. I served these in stemless champagne glasses, again for fancy reason, but highball glasses, a tall cocktail glass, or even a mason jar will do)

Step 1: (optional) Place a small wedge of lime and 3 to 4 mint leaves in the bottom of a glass and mash with a muddler, the back of a spoon, or the handle of a wooden utensil.

Step 2: Fill your glass ⅔ full with ice and add orange juice to ⅔ of the glass and then lime seltzer almost to the top. 

Step 3: Pour in grenadine. It will slowly sink to the bottom.

Step 4: Garnish with a small wedge of an orange and a sprig of mint. Serve layered with a straw and allow the drinker to stir and sip.

That's pretty much it. A delightful little trip to the tropics in a cute little non alcoholic mocktail. Everyone deserves a cute little drink once in a while!

Sunrise mocktail FAQs

Delicious sips and nibbles