This is a sponsored post brought to you by Exotico Tequila.

The Tequila Sunrise is a rather underrated cocktail, if you ask me. I realize you didn’t, but I’m saying it anyways. It’s a super simple cocktail made from orange juice, grenadine, and tequila. And it’s underrated because it’s easy to make it AWFUL. And most likely, if you’ve had it before, you had the awful version because it was thrown together at some dive bar with pretty inelegant bargain-basement ingredients.

The very FIRST thing you want to elevate is that tequila. So… let’s make it Exotico. I used the Blanco for this cocktail, because the crisp, herbal notes of the spirit are just begging to play with some fresh lavender. But the Reposado, with its oakey, vanilla-y undertones, would work totally well here, too!

The second critical ingredient upgrade is that grenadine. We’re going to make it almost from scratch, and we’re going to infuse the daylights out of it with fresh lavender. And then we’re going to round the whole drink out with fresh-squeezed orange juice.

LAVENDER TEQUILA SUNRISE

Makes 1 serving

• 1 sprig of fresh lavender to muddle

• 4 ounces fresh orange juice

• 2 ounces Exotico Tequila Blanco

• 3/4 ounce Lavender-Infused Grenadine (instructions below)

  • 1/2 cup pomegranate juice

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1/4 cup fresh lavender blossoms (or 1-1/2 tablespoons dried)

• orange slice + fresh lavender blossoms for garnish

  To make the grenadine: in a small saucepan over medium high heat, bring all ingredients just barely to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until sugar is full dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to fully cool. Strain into an airtight container and store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

  To make the cocktail: In a shaker, place one sprig of fresh lavender, or a half dozen dried lavender blossoms in the bottom, and muddle just until fragrance is released. Add ice, then combine orange juice and tequila and shake until chilled. Fill glass with ice, and pour cocktail mixture into it. Slowly pour grenadine over along the inside edge of the glass, and allow it to settle to the bottom. Garnish with orange slice and lavender blossoms.

And as usual, keep a close eye on your cocktails. You never know what’s *lurking nearby.

*Chickens. Chickens are lurking nearby. Always.

This is a sponsored post brought to you by Exotico Tequila.