Vintage American Cocktails

The History Of The Tequila Sunrise.

The Original tequila sunrise is commonly believed to be invented by Gene Sulit in the 1930s at the Baltimore Hotel in Pheonix, Arizona. The Original Baltimore Hotel recipe is 2/3 oz lime juice, 2/3 oz creme de Cassis, 1.5 oz silver tequila in a glass with ice and topped off with soda water.

The more common present-day recipe was invented in the early 1970s by Bob Lozoff while working at the Trident restaurant in Sausalito, California. In an ad for Jose Cuervo, bob stated the tequila sunrise was too complicated for them to make, so they made their own variation of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine. They chose to call this new drink the tequila sunrise instead. The Rolling Stones hosted a private party at the Trident and apparently fell in love with the drink. Interest in this version of the tequila sunrise grew out of the Rolling Stones’ popularity, and they’re requesting for a tequila sunrise made this specific way.

What Does The Tequila Sunrise Taste Like?

The Bob Lozoff version of the tequila sunrise taste like a slightly sweeter, fruitier screwdriver. It’s an improvement on the standard screwdriver, a pretty one-dimensional drink. The tequila sunrise makes for a good brunch cocktail. I won’t say it’s a great drink, but it’s not bad. Aesthetically it is better than it tastes.