In theory, there shouldn't be anythingwrongwith atequila sunrise, an oft-maligned cocktail you might remember best from that time you mistakenly drank one in 1985. A mix of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine, the drink sounds pretty dang good on paper. But there is something seriously wrong. The problem? Most store-bought grenadine is downright terrible, so sticky-sweet and packed with high-fructose corn syrup that it more closely resembles melted-down Jolly Ranchers than anything that once came from a pomegranate.
But the tequila and orange juice part? There's something great there.
My solution? It's called the Mezcal Sunset—a drink that packs all the deliciousness of its more famous cocktail cousin without any of the swim-up bar stigma.
First, I swap out tequila for mezcal, its smoky alter ego that boasts the freshness of an agave-based syrup with the complexity of a fine Scotch. The orange juice and sparkling wine go unchanged.
Now, about that grenadine bit. Sure, you could sub in pomegranate molasses—a thick, syrup-y concoction that actually tastes of the fruit that shares its name—but the stuff's expensive and might go unused in your kitchen unless you cook Middle Eastern dishes frequently. So I made my own version by combining equal parts pomegranate juice and sugar and cooking the mixture down until it's reduced to a slightly viscous, deep-red liquid. No chemicals, no artificial sweeteners—just great pomegranate flavor.
The result is something as beautiful to behold as is it delicious to drink, the pomegranate syrup sinking past the ice cubes and all the way to the bottom of the glass like a #nofilter Instagram sunset.
And you can't help but wonder why you didn't think of reinventing this drink sooner.
