Episode 103 The Tequila Sunrise

Ep. 103: The Triple Origin Story of a Rock & Roll Classic – Tequila Sunrise

Welcome to Season 7 episode 103 of The Art of Drinking with Join Jules and Your Favorite Uncle

Grab your grenadine, better yet, make your own, and fresh squeeze some oranges. Let’s make a Tequila Sunrise! Uncle Brad stumbles through the drink's contested origins, where two towns are locked in a cocktail custody battle—Tijuana and Phoenix both claiming parentage with zero willingness to share visitation rights. Our journey then wobbles north to California, where the undisputed modern version was shaped and became a rock and roll icon.
Uncle Brad, who's never met a cocktail history he couldn't overexplain, walks us through two historical recipes while Jules—who believes every drink deserves an identity crisis and mezcal twist—throws convention out the window with her Oaxacan remix. Come for the history lesson, stay for the inevitable debate about which version is superior (spoiler alert: the one in your hand always wins).

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Quick little history of the Tequila Sunrise, listen to the full episode for more

The Tequila Sunrise as we know it today actually has two origin stories—like a cocktail with a twist of time travel.

The Original (1930s):
The first version of the Tequila Sunrise was created in the 1930s at the Agua Caliente resort in Tijuana, Mexico. It was a mix of tequila, crème de cassis, lime juice, and soda water—refreshing, but quite different from what we sip today.

Fun Facts About the Tequila Sunrise Cocktail

1. It’s got rock ‘n’ roll roots.
While the original version dates back to the 1930s, the modern Tequila Sunrise as we know it was popularized in the 1970s—and became a hit thanks to The Rolling Stones, who drank it on tour and dubbed it the “official tour cocktail” during their 1972 American tour.

2. The Eagles named a song after it.
That’s right—“Tequila Sunrise” by The Eagles (released in 1973) was inspired by the cocktail. So yes, it’s basically a drink and a vibe.

3. There are two versions of the drink.

The original Tequila Sunrise (1930s, Agua Caliente, Mexico) used tequila, crème de cassis, lime juice, and soda water.
The modern version (1970s, Sausalito, CA) uses tequila, orange juice, and grenadine, which creates that signature sunrise look.

4. It’s all about the layering.
The sunrise effect comes from the density difference between the orange juice and the grenadine. When you pour grenadine slowly down the side or center of the glass, it sinks and creates that gorgeous gradient.

5. It helped put tequila on the American cocktail map.
Back in the day, tequila wasn’t a common base spirit in the U.S. The Tequila Sunrise helped make it more mainstream, paving the way for the Margarita and all the agave love we see today.

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