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.
Quick Look at Sunrise Mocktail Recipe
- ⏲️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- ⏲️ Cook Time: 5 minutes
- ⏲️ Total Time: 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Yield: 1 glass
- 🥕 Dietary Info: Vegan, Gluten Free
- ⚡ Calories: 289 calories per serving (based on nutrition facts in recipe card)
- 🍋 6 Ingredients: simple syrup, orange juice, sparkling water, lime juice, lemon juice, and grenadine.
- 🥣 Method: Stirred (Stovetop for simple syrup)
- ⌛ Time-Saving Hack: Make the simple syrup in advance and chill it to make prep quick and easy.
- 🔪 Equipment: small saucepan, glass, and spoon.
- ⭐ Expert Tip: Use freshly squeeze lemon and lime juice for the best flavor.
- 🍹 Flavor & Texture: This sunrise mocktail has a wonderful tang from the citrus juices with a hint of pomegranate from the grenadine.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Made with 6 Simple Ingredients: This drink couldn't be simpler to make and takes simple ingredients that you may already have or can grab from the grocery store.
- Ready in 5 Minutes or Less: All you need to do is pour the ingredients into a glass, and you're ready to enjoy this drink!
- Beautiful Presentation: The grenadine sinks to the bottom, giving this drink its beautiful sunset-like appearance.
Featured Comment
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "This drink is so pretty! The sweet and tart flavours are really good."
- Beth
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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.
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.
- 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)
- Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice. (image 2)
- Add the lime juice. (image 3)
- With a long handled spoon or straw, gently stir the orange juice mixture. (image 4)
- 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)
- 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)
Sunrise Mocktail 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.
Serving Suggestions
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.
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
Recipe
Sunrise Mocktail
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.
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
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
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.