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This super pretty brightly colored non-alcohol spin on an old cocktail classic Is the perfect addition to your next brunch. The sunrise mocktail gets its name from its bright orange and red colors, just like a beautiful sunrise. It’s easy to make and full of sweet fruity, citrus flavor.

Closeup of a sunrise mocktail in a highball glass with an orange slice on the glass.

Jump to:

🥂 What is a Sunrise Mocktail?
Why You’ll Love It
⭐ When to Make This Drink
📖 Variations
🥄 Equipment
📋 Ingredients
👩🏻‍🍳 Instructions
Recipe

🥂 What is a Sunrise Mocktail?

A sunrise mocktail is a combination of orange juice and grenadine where the grenadine sits at the bottom of the drink creating a pretty gradient color. This beautiful mocktail has a super sweet amped up orange citrus flavor with a little hint of cherry.

This mocktail is a nice non-alcoholic twist on a traditional tequila sunrise. It is a really pretty layered drink where the grenadine is poured in and sinks to the bottom creating a gradient color.

The layering and this mocktail is made possible due to the fact that liquids have different densities. The grenadine syrup is much heavier than the orange juice and that is why it sinks to the bottom.

If you are looking for other orange flavored mocktails, try out this coffee and orange juice or this orange mocktail.

Why You’ll Love It

Super easy: this mocktail only takes two super easy ingredients to make. You don’t have to shake anything together or get any super elaborate garnishes.
Really pretty: One of the best parts about this drink is how visually stunning it is. The bright orange and bright red colors really make it a centerpiece mocktail.
Refreshing and tasty: let’s mocktail is one of the more refreshing drinks. It’s full of citrus flavor with a little added sweet. Nothing too over-the-top.

⭐ When to Make This Drink

This beautiful mocktail is easy to make and perfect for serving at occasions like:

brunch
baby showers
poolside sipping
summer barbecues

📖 Variations

If you’re interested in twisting this drink up a little, here are a few things you can try out:

Make it sparkling: add a little sparkling fizz to this mocktail by adding an ounce or two of club soda or lemon lime soda. Or, if you want a capitalize on the citrus flavor, you could add an orange flavored seltzer water.
Add more garnishes. Add a little extra color by putting a few maraschino cherries or a fresh strawberry on top of the drink.
Use different fruit juices. You can vary up The fruit flavors in this drink by using only half the orange juice and adding juices like peach or pineapple.
Use cherry simple syrup. Though grenadine is actually flavored with pomegranates, most people feel like it has a cherry flavor. Make your own cherry simple syrup and substitute it in for the grenadine.

🥄 Equipment

Note: If You don’t have a highball glass, you can use any type of glass where you prefer. Additionally, a jigger is used for measuring an ounces. But, if you don’t have one, there are measurements and cups listed below.

📋 Ingredients

5 oz Orange juice – You can use store-bought or fresh squeezed. It’s best to use pulp free for a smooth drink.
1 oz Grenadine – can be purchased or you can make your own. This is a bright red sweet pomegranate flavored syrup.
Ice

Highball glass with ice and an orange slice next to jigger, grenadine and orange juice.

👩🏻‍🍳 Instructions

Step one

As you get started make sure you have everything you need to make your mocktail including orange juice, grenadine, orange slice, ice, highball glass and jigger.

Step two

Place enough ice into your highball glass so that it is filled to the top.

Pouring orange juice from a jigger into a highball glass.

Step three

Use the jigger and measure out 5 oz of orange juice. Then, pour it into the glass.

Note: If you’d like to skip the measuring you can. Simply pour the orange juice directly in the glass leaving an inch or two at the top so that there is room for the grenadine.

Pouring grenadine from a jigger into a highball glass.

Step four

Measure out 1 oz of grenadine with a jigger. Then, slowly pour the grenadine into the glass and watch it sink to the bottom.

Note: 1 oz of grenadine is equal to 1 and ½ tablespoons.

Recipe

Sunrise mocktail with an orange slide in the glass and ingredient bottles behind the glass.

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Sunrise Mocktail

Prep Time3

Course: Drinks

Keyword: Sunrise Mocktail

Servings:

Equipment

jigger
highball glass

Ingredients

5 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Grenadine
Ice
Orange slice or Maraschino Cherry (optional garnish)

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

Fill the glass about to the top with ice.
Take the jigger and measure out 5 oz of Orange juice. Pour the orange juice into the glass.
Note: if you need to measure in something other than ounces since you don't have a jigger. Add about ¾ of a cup of orange juice to the glass.
Take the jigger and measure out 1 oz of grenadine. Pour the grenadine into the glass. It will sink to the bottom creating a gradient color effect.
Note: if you don't have a jigger to measure it out in ounces, you can measure 1.5 tbs.

Orange or Cherry Garnish

If adding an orange slice: Cut an orange into wheels. Take one wheel and cut it in half. Then cut a little notch in the pulp of the slice and place it on the rim of the glass.
If adding a maraschino cherry: Simply place one on the top of the glass.

Notes

Variations:

Add 1 – 2 oz of lemon lime soda for a citrus sparkle.
Add 1 – 2 oz of club soda for a sparkling.

Measurements: if you don’t have a jigger to measure out in ounces, you can use tbs and/or cups.

1 oz of grenadine is about 1.5 tbs.
5 oz of orange juice is .6 cups