One of today's StartSampling recipes is for a Tequila Sunrise. I've been told I make a fantastic Tequila Sunrise and I wanted to chime in on the comments section and tell them there are a few basic secrets for making the perfect Sunrise.
1. Always use a good tequila. That ten dollar bottle might fit your budget, but it has no place in a tasty Tequila Sunrise. You can't do wrong using Jose Quervo (I prefer white for most tequila based mixed drinks over the gold/aged, but it's a matter of taste. Cheap tequila uses food coloring. ) A few dollars can be saved by purchasing Sauza (look for the rooster on the back of the front label). Expect to pay $20-25 for a 750ml or liter of decent tequila; $50+ for premium. Patrón and Herradura are two brands I prefer in that price range, but even more expensive tequilas can cost over a hundred dollars a bottle, even two, three hundred. Spending THAT much money on booze seems obscene to me, though.
2. The recipe at StartSampling calls for one oz. of tequila and that might be the way to go if you're using cheap liquor; less nasty flavor in the mix and you won't taste it as much. OTOH, your taste buds will numb out on that rotgut, so it won't matter after a couple of swallows.
For the size glass (highball) that's illustrated, an oz. and a half of GOOD tequila would be the minimum. Good tequila is smooooooooooth. I never used a jigger anyway.
3. Don't stir. Repeat: Don't stir. The only way to have layers of color like a sunrise is to NOT STIR. Fill the glass w/ ice, pour in the tequila, then drizzle the grenadine over the ice. Some recipes call for the grenadine (which is pomegranite syrup and very good on grapefruit for breakfast or dessert) THEN the tequila, but I think it mixes better with the tequila poured first. Add orange juice to fill.(also, buy a good brand of o.j.; I prefer unsweetened because of the sweetness of the grenadine is enough)
4. They taste best when getting off of morning tour on a drilling rig, the frigid night shift behind you, wanting a drink to chase the chill out of your bones.
Then kick back and watch the beautiful Panhandle morning sky light up as you listen to The Eagles.
Yep, a couple of my Tequila Sunrises and the morning doesn't look so blue.
1. Always use a good tequila. That ten dollar bottle might fit your budget, but it has no place in a tasty Tequila Sunrise. You can't do wrong using Jose Quervo (I prefer white for most tequila based mixed drinks over the gold/aged, but it's a matter of taste. Cheap tequila uses food coloring. ) A few dollars can be saved by purchasing Sauza (look for the rooster on the back of the front label). Expect to pay $20-25 for a 750ml or liter of decent tequila; $50+ for premium. Patrón and Herradura are two brands I prefer in that price range, but even more expensive tequilas can cost over a hundred dollars a bottle, even two, three hundred. Spending THAT much money on booze seems obscene to me, though.
2. The recipe at StartSampling calls for one oz. of tequila and that might be the way to go if you're using cheap liquor; less nasty flavor in the mix and you won't taste it as much. OTOH, your taste buds will numb out on that rotgut, so it won't matter after a couple of swallows.
For the size glass (highball) that's illustrated, an oz. and a half of GOOD tequila would be the minimum. Good tequila is smooooooooooth. I never used a jigger anyway.
3. Don't stir. Repeat: Don't stir. The only way to have layers of color like a sunrise is to NOT STIR. Fill the glass w/ ice, pour in the tequila, then drizzle the grenadine over the ice. Some recipes call for the grenadine (which is pomegranite syrup and very good on grapefruit for breakfast or dessert) THEN the tequila, but I think it mixes better with the tequila poured first. Add orange juice to fill.(also, buy a good brand of o.j.; I prefer unsweetened because of the sweetness of the grenadine is enough)
4. They taste best when getting off of morning tour on a drilling rig, the frigid night shift behind you, wanting a drink to chase the chill out of your bones.
Then kick back and watch the beautiful Panhandle morning sky light up as you listen to The Eagles.
Yep, a couple of my Tequila Sunrises and the morning doesn't look so blue.
