The classic tequila sunrise cocktail gets a desert twist with the addition of prickly pear syrup instead of the usual grenadine.
Sonoran Sunrise
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
Today my recipe of the day is for a Sonoran Sunrise, which is essentially a tequila sunrise made with cactus pear syrup instead of the grenadine syrup to give it that beautiful color at the bottom of the glass.
I’ve included the method for making the prickly pear syrup from scratch, as you know I like making syrups from scratch. It is in the recipe for prickly pear margarita below. Which is yet another drink to make with your syrup.
But I have seen the syrup for sale at liquor stores, so in case you can’t find the prickly pears you can still find a way to enjoy this drink. I am pretty sure you can also obtain it online.
The tequila sunrise as a drink might seem pretty retro. It was one of my favorite drinks to make back in the 1970’s. I love that it includes orange juice, which makes it a perfect brunch drink. This updated version using the prickly pear instead of grenadine (which comes from pomegranates) might well be my favorite of the two.
I know it is a little more trouble trimming up the pears for prep with the little furry parts on the pears, but it is not too hard to do. And once you make your syrup it keeps for a very long time. But not so long that it lasts forever. In fact, with a nice sized Cinco de Mayo party, you might put away your syrup in one evening. But it will also give you plenty of conversation about how you make it and of course that color!
Check out all the other amazing Cinco de Mayo recipes:
- Beefy Black Bean Tostadas from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Guajillo-Braised Shortrib Tacos from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Guava Margaritas from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Homemade Corn Tortillas from Food Above Gold
- Humitas with Homemade Queso Fresco from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Mexican Casserole from A Day in The Life On A Farm
- Shrimp Taco Bowls from Books n’ Cooks
- Sonoran Sunrise from Palatable Pastime
- Easy Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars from The Spiffy Cookie
- Taco Joe Dip from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
You Might Also Like:
Prickly Pear Margarita
White Peach and Honeysuckle Martini
Watermelon Wine Cooler
Vodka Paloma
Strawberry Shandy
Make this recipe part of your weekend potluck!
Sonoran Sunrise
Ingredients
- 8 fluid ounces orange juice
- 1-1/2 ounces white (blanco) tequila
- 1-1/2 ounces prickly pear syrup
- 1 teaspoon Caster sugar
Instructions
- Mix orange juice, tequila and sugar.
- Pour over ice cubes in glass.
- Slowly pour syrup from a soup spoon into the glass, at one side and let it settle to the bottom, then agitate gently with a small spoon to get as much sunrise glow as you prefer.
Notes
Recipe meant for adults of legal drinking age only. Please drink responsibly.
I LOVE Prickly Pear and this cocktail is gorgeous! It really does look like a sunrise!
I want one of those right here on the beach.