Tequila Sunrise

Bleeding Edge, Thomas Pynchon, 2013

2 oz. tequila

Dash of fresh lemon juice

4 oz. orange juice

Splash of grenadine

1 maraschino cherry, for garnish

1 orange slice, for garnish

Place the tequila and juices in a highball glass, fill it with ice, and stir until chilled.

Add the grenadine and do not stir; instead, let it filter down through the orange juice. Garnish with the maraschino cherry and orange slice and enjoy.

Train hostesses… keep coming by with carts full of junk food, drinks with Pacific subtexts like Tequila Sunrises…

Pynchon’s novel is a surreal detective story with a truly modern flavor, involving conspiracies, hacking, and cybersecurity, as Maxine Tarnow investigates potential fraud at a security firm and finds that their numbers do not add up. And that’s just the beginning.

The Tequila Sunrise dates back to the 1930s, though a modern version of the drink was invented in the 1970s at the Trident restaurant on Sausalito, California, and it’s this version that is best known today. The name comes from its mix of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine. When the grenadine is added, it sinks to the bottom of the glass, giving the drink a beautiful layered look, rather like the sky when the sun rises. This beautiful drink can be enjoyed anytime, even if you’re not trying to track down cyber criminals!