With layers of orange and red like the morning sky, it became a cultural icon, thanks in no small part to one of the world’s biggest bands: The Rolling Stones.
But first, where did it come from?
The original Tequila Sunrise was actually born in the 1930s or ’40s at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. That version was a very different drink, made with tequila, lime juice, soda water, and crème de cassis. Not exactly the fruity concoction we know today.
The version that took the world by storm was created decades later in the early 1970s by bartender Bobby Lozoff and his colleague Billy Rice at The Trident bar in Sausalito, California. Their twist? A simple yet dazzling mix of tequila, orange juice, and a splash of grenadine that slowly sank to the bottom, creating that iconic sunrise effect.
Enter The Rolling Stones.
In 1972, the Stones were about to launch their American Exile on Main St. tour. At a party held in their honor at The Trident, Mick Jagger tried Lozoff’s Tequila Sunrise—and he liked it. A lot. So much, in fact, that he started ordering it at every stop on the tour. The band quickly adopted it as their official drink of the road.
It wasn’t long before the Tequila Sunrise became synonymous with the Stones’ glamorous, rebellious lifestyle. Keith Richards even dubbed the tour “the Cocaine and Tequila Sunrise Tour” in his memoir, blending the era’s excess with the drink’s easy, tropical charm.
As the band moved across the U.S., the cocktail followed them, popping up on bar menus and in hotel lounges coast to coast. With the Stones as its unofficial ambassadors, the Tequila Sunrise exploded in popularity. By the late ’70s, it was everywhere—from nightclubs to suburban cookouts.
Its fame only grew when the Eagles released their hit song Tequila Sunrise in 1973. Though the lyrics were more about heartbreak than partying, the song helped cement the cocktail’s place in pop culture. Today, the Tequila Sunrise remains a classic—simple to make, beautiful to look at, and rich with rock history. Every time you sip one, you’re not just enjoying a drink; you’re tasting a piece of music history that started with a sip, a smile, and a Stones tour bus rolling into town.
