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Home » Recipes » Mocktail Recipes

Sunrise Mocktail

Published: Feb 28, 2020 · Modified: Nov 1, 2024 by Brooke Fajcz · As an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Wanting to impress your guests with a stunning drink to serve at brunch?  Try this sunrise mocktail!  It's easy to mix up, and everyone will love the visual sunrise effect.

Want to try even more tasty mocktails? Check out our Hurricane Mocktail and Cinderella Mocktail.

people doing a toast with tequila sunrise mocktails
Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Variations
  • How to Make Sunrise Mocktail
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Serve
  • Expert Tips
  • Other Mocktails You'll Love
  • Recipe
  • Comments

Ingredients

glass bowls of ingredients for sunrise mocktail

Fresh ingredients make all the difference in this mocktail. Better yet, you can adjust the flavour to your liking.

  • Simple Syrup - A premade simple syrup is great, but test out more flavours by making your own.
  • Lemon and Lime Juice - Freshly squeezed juice has a great burst of flavour, but you can also use bottled lemon and lime juice.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

  • If you can't eat maraschino cherries, substitute with a small strawberry.
  • If you have red food dye allergies, substitute the grenadine with homemade grenadine made with pomegranate juice or make a strawberry simple syrup.

How to Make Sunrise Mocktail

Traditionally a mocktail sunrise has crushed ice, orange juice, lemon/lime soda, and grenadine.  But this recipe is a mocktail sunrise with a twist, so read on to find out how it is made.

person pouring simple syrup and lemon juice into a glass
  1. Start by pouring the orange juice into a glass. Use freshly squeezed orange juice for the freshest taste. Pour in the sparkling mineral water. (image 1)
  2. Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice. (image 2)
person pouring juice into a glass and stirring it
  1. Add the lime juice. (image 3)
  2. With a long handled spoon or straw, gently stir the orange juice mixture. (image 4)
person pouring grenadine into the glass and garnishing it
  1. Slowly pour in the secret ingredient that makes the sunrise effect: the grenadine. It will sink to the bottom and gradually work its way up the tall glass. (image 5)
  2. Garnish with a orange slice and a maraschino cherry.  Add a pretty paper straw or a plastic bendy one, which are perfect for kids, if desired. Enjoy! (image 6)

Recipe FAQs

What makes the sunrise effect?

The key ingredient is the grenadine, a thick, sweet syrup made from pomegranate juice.  Slowly pour the grenadine into the glass.  It will sink to the bottom, giving the drink a graduated sunrise look.

The sweetness of the grenadine will offset the tartness of the citrus.  Basically, it's a density science experiment that is a lot of fun to drink.  Just make sure your kids are there to witness the effect!

What are the calories for one serving?

For a 16 fl. oz. serving, there is 234 calories.  This drink is low in fat and has a whooping 234% of your daily intake of vitamin C.  For more nutritional information, scroll past the recipe card.

Can I make this drink in advance?

Yes, this drink is easy to ahead of time in individual glasses.  If you want to make up a pitcher, leave out the grenadine.  Let the guests pour that in, one tablespoon or ½ an ounce, when they serve themselves.

Serve

If you're looking for other mocktails the whole family will love, you'll want to try our recipes for strawberry mocktail, grapefruit ginger fizz, and Canadian Caesar mocktail.

two sunrise mocktails with a paper straw.

Expert Tips

  • Freeze the glassware if you want a hint of a frosty beverage without ice.
  • If you want ice, use a small amount of crushed ice and place in the glass first.
  • For the freshest taste, use freshly squeezed orange, lemon, and lime juice.
  • Finish the drink off by slowly pouring the grenadine around the inside edge of the glass.
  • Need it for a crowd?  Make up a pitcher in advance.  Just let the guests add their own grenadine to their glass.

Other Mocktails You'll Love

  • two glasses of Cinderella mocktail with a citrus reamer.
    Cinderella Mocktail
  • two glasses of ginger beer mocktail.
    Ginger Beer Mocktail
  • two glasses of watermelon slushie with a bowl of watermelon
    Watermelon Slushie Mocktail
  • person holding a glass of piña colada
    Virgin Piña Colada

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Recipe

people doing a toast with tequila sunrise mocktails

Sunrise Mocktail

Our sunrise mocktail is an easy non alcoholic beverage that’s perfect for summer brunch or for your friends. It can be made to order or in a party-sized pitcher for a crowd.  You will be impressed with how simple it is to make!
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Beverage
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 1 glass
Calories: 289kcal
Author: Brooke & Emma

Ingredients
 

For the Simple Syrup

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar

For the Beverage

  • 1 cup orange juice
  • ¾ cup sparkling lime mineral water
  • 2 tablespoons simple syrup, cooled
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, from one medium lime
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one medium lemon
  • 1 tablespoon grenadine

For the Garnish

  • ½ orange slice, from one navel orange
  • 1 maraschino cherry without a stem
  • 1 green straw, paper or bendable
Keep your screen on while you work!

Instructions

Making the Simple Syrup

  • Pour the water into a small saucepan.  Turn the heat to medium high and dump in the sugar.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Take off the heat and transfer the simple syrup to a small jam jar and place in the fridge to cool.  You can also put in the freezer if you're in a hurry.

Prepping the Juice & Garnish

  • Halve the lemon and lime, then juice them with a citrus reamer or hand juicer.
  • Slice the navel orange into thin slices, then cut each wheel in half to make a semicircle.  Make a small cut in the center of the slice so it can sit on the rim.
  • If necessary, de-stem the maraschino cherries.  Make a small cut in the cherry so it will sit nicely on the rim.

Making the Sweet Sunrise

  • Pour the orange juice, simple syrup, lemon juice, and lime juice into a 16-ounce hurricane glass.  Top it off with the sparkling mineral water, then stir gently.
  • Carefully pour in the grenadine to give it the sunrise effect.  Don't stir it afterwards, or the layered look will disappear.
  • Garnish the rim of the glass with one orange slice and one maraschino cherry.  Add a green straw if desired.  Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

  • Can't have grenadine?  Make your own with pomegranate juice or strawberry simple syrup.
  • Use freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice, for the freshest taste.
  • Substitute with a small strawberry, if you can't have maraschino cherries.
  • If you want a hint of a frosty beverage without ice, freeze the glassware.
  • Make up a pitcher in advance if you need this for a crowd.   The guests can pour in the grenadine to their glass.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal (14%)Carbohydrates: 73g (24%)Protein: 2g (4%)Fat: 1g (2%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 34mg (1%)Potassium: 588mg (17%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 62g (69%)Vitamin A: 520IU (10%)Vitamin C: 144mg (175%)Calcium: 65mg (7%)Iron: 2mg (11%)

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Beth

    October 31, 2019 at 12:49 pm

    5 stars
    This drink is so pretty! The sweet and tart flavours are really good.

    Reply
    • Emma

      October 31, 2019 at 1:39 pm

      Thank you, Beth! The fade of grenadine and orange juice is pretty.

      Reply

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We're Brooke & Emma Fajcz, the mother-daughter team behind Savor the Flavour. Increase your kitchen confidence with our recipes, instructional photos, and helpful tips and facts. Our recipes have been featured in Oprah Magazine, The Guardian, Parade, Insider, Delish, and BuzzFeed.

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