Wanting to impress your guests with a stunning drink to serve at brunch? Try this mocktail sunrise! 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.
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Ingredients
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.
How to Make
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.
If you'd like the hurricane glass chilled, just freeze it before you start. Crushed ice can also be added to the bottom of the glass if you want a really cold drink. I prefer to have this drink without any ice, so I left that out.
- Start by pouring the orange juice into a glass. Use freshly squeezed orange juice for the freshest taste. Pour in the sparkling mineral water.
- Add in the freshly squeezed lemon juice.
3. Add the lime juice.
4. With a long handled spoon or straw, gently stir the orange juice mixture.
5. 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.
6. Garnish with a orange slice and a maraschino cherry. Add a pretty paper straw or a plastic bendy one, which are perfect for kids.
Ta da! The masterpiece is revealed! Before you consume it, take a moment to enjoy its beauty. This drink is not only gorgeous to look at, but is also super tasty. Try it out for yourself by mixing up a glass or two.
Recipe FAQs
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Recipe
Mocktail Sunrise
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
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.
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
This recipe was originally published on August 3, 2018.
Beth
This drink is so pretty! The sweet and tart flavours are really good.
Emma
Thank you, Beth! The fade of grenadine and orange juice is pretty.