Sweet Sunrise Drink

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
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Updated on 01/3/23
Sweet Sunrise Drink

The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner
Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 drink
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
168 Calories
0g Fat
40g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 168
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 10mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 40g 15%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 30g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 103mg 515%
Calcium 29mg 2%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 408mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Take the tequila out of the tequila sunrise, and you have a sweet sunrise (also called the virgin sunrise). It is a fantastic, healthy mixed drink to enjoy any time of the day, and the recipe is unbelievably easy to follow. It requires just two common ingredients, and you might even have everything you need right there in your kitchen.

Essentially, the sweet sunrise is a simple way to enhance a tall glass of orange juice: The tart citrus is offset with the sweetness of grenadine. Serving it over ice makes it even more refreshing. While it is possible to create a perfectly good sweet sunrise with store-bought orange juice and grenadine, it's even better when you follow the "fresh is best" theory.

Once you learn the beauty of this easy mocktail, it may even replace your morning orange juice. It also makes a perfect companion for any brunch.

Ingredients

  • 4 to 6 ounces orange juice

  • 1/2 to 1 ounce grenadine, to taste

  • Orange slice, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Sweet sunrise mocktail recipe ingredients

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  2. Fill a tall glass with ice and orange juice, leaving a little room at the top.

    tall glass with ice and orange juice

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  3. Slowly pour grenadine over the juice. It will sink to the bottom and slowly rise to the top as you drink.

    Pouring grenadine in the sweet sunrise mocktail

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  4. Garnish with an orange slice. Serve and enjoy.

    Sweet sunrise mocktail with an orange slice

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

Tips

  • This is one drink that definitely deserves fresh-squeezed orange juice. It's not hard to do with either an electric juicer or a simple hand juicer. Two average-sized oranges should be more than enough to make one drink. You can also juice up a bunch of oranges and store any excess in the refrigerator to make the next drink that much easier.
  • Grenadine is a sweet, delicious syrup flavored with pomegranate, and it's used for a variety of drinks. It's also very easy to make grenadine at home. You can use fresh pomegranate during the winter when the fruit is in season or pomegranate juice any time of the year. Grenadine can last for a few weeks in the refrigerator. 
  • Make it up ahead of time in a pitcher for larger portions. Just add grenadine into each glass before serving.

Recipe Variations

  • Add flavor to the juice by splitting the orange with an equal part of pineapple juice. Passion fruit and peach juices are excellent additions as well. You can also use a fruit juice blend that includes any of those flavors.
  • During strawberry season, put a berry twist on the sunrise by making a fresh strawberry syrup to substitute for the grenadine.
  • Give this drink a very peachy flavor with the sparkling peach sunrise. The recipe pairs peach juice or nectar with citrus soda and grenadine.
  • Transform this into a sweet sunrise slushie: Blend 1 cup of ice with a handful of strawberry slices and a sliced banana. Add 1/2 ounce or so of grenadine, simple syrup, or honey if you'd like it sweeter. Fill a glass halfway with orange juice, then pour the red, fruity slush on top (it will float for a while).