Have you ever seen a cocktail with a colorful ingredient floating on the top of it and wondered how did they do that? They probably made the cocktail using the floating technique. Float or floating in cocktail terminology means to add a small amount of liquid over the back of a spoon or down the handle of a bar spoon to the cocktail. A float is usually the last ingredient used in a cocktail. A float is added last because it is not stirred or shaken like the other ingredients used in the cocktail. Some ingredients can be floated by pouring the ingredient slowly in the drink, but usually it is poured slowly over the back of a spoon. Some bartenders will float the ingredient down the handle of a bar spoon. It’s very important when floating an ingredient to slowly pour the liquid over the back of the spoon because if you pour it too quickly it will mix with the other ingredients in the cocktail.
This Tequila Sunrise cocktail uses the floating technique to add the grenadine to the drink.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ oz Tequila
- 4 oz Orange Juice
- 1 ½ oz Grenadine (grenadine is non alcoholic cherry flavored syrup used in many cocktail drinks)
- 1 Orange Slice for garnish
- 1 Lime Slice for garnish
Preparation:
- Place 3 cubes of ice in a shaker.
- Add the tequila and orange juice to the ice.
- Shake well (shake the shaker at least 10 times).
- Strain into a Collins cocktail glass.
- Float grenadine into the drink.
- Garnish with an orange slice and a lime slice.
Floating the grenadine on top of this cocktail adds a beautiful look to the drink. The grenadine gives the drink a sweet flavor and also adds a bright and colorful look. The Tequila Sunrise has a very sweet taste because of the orange juice and grenadine and looks elegant when the grenadine is floated on top.
The Tequila Sunrise is also prepared by adding the tequila and orange juice to a Collins glass with ice. Do not stir. Add the grenadine and let it settle to the bottom of the glass. Do not stir. Garnish with orange slice.
