The 1970s Cake Inspired By A Cocktail That Rocked The Rolling Stones

Life imitates art (or whatever), even in the dessert world. Plenty of sweet treats have been named after pop culture icons of the Disco Decade, such as the Robert Redford cake and the Watergate salad (nice). Today, we're spotlighting another once-popular dessert from the 1970s: tequila sunrise cake, the boozy baked good steeped in hard-rockin' history. The tequila sunrise cocktail was arguably the definitive drink of the decade, and remains a timeless classic for a reason. It comprises tequila, orange juice, and grenadine, layered and unmixed for a sunset-esque striation of orange and bright red pigmentation. Plus, it requires no special techniques (or even stirring) to assemble, making it ultra-accessible (even after three or four of 'em) – and it's no wonder why the Rolling Stones loved it at first sip.

The story goes that, three years after the disaster at Altamont and the subsequent conclusion of the Flower Power movement, concert promoter Bill Graham took the Stones out for a beverage at the Trident bar in Sausalito. The Trident specialized in tequila-based cocktails, and the tequila sunrise's early-1970s invention is credited to Trident bartender Bobby Lozoff. Per the lore, Lozoff introduced the drink to the Rolling Stones right before they embarked on their 1972 tour, which the band would soon thereafter nickname the "Cocaine and Tequila Sunrise Tour." Fittingly, the tour was in promotion of the band's latest record, "Exile on Main Street," which was famously recorded in the basement of Keith Richards' home in France under similar conditions.

Looking back on the Disco Decade, it would not be incorrect to say the literal "spirit of the '70s" was tequila. As tequila-sunrise-inventor Lozoff shares in an interview with SF Weekly, "In the early '70s [...] everyone was drinking scotch, beer, Irish coffee — except the hippies, who were drinking tequila [...] Tequila started spreading in popularity in Sausalito among the hippies around '67. Back in '67 you'd put a flower in your hair and have a shot of tequila. That was it." Before long, the tequila sunrise even inspired the eponymous anthem by fellow rockers the Eagles, which debuted as the first single off their 1973 "Desperado" album. Also in 1973, tequila giant Jose Cuervo began printing the cocktail recipe on its bottles. 

The tequila sunrise cocktail is tropical without the cloying sweetness of many tiki category sippers, while retaining the tiki tradition of sneakily-strong potency – and, funnily enough, the same descriptors apply to the drink's namesake cake. Exact preparations vary, but tequila sunrise cake generally combines orange-tinged vanilla cake with either whole cherries or pomegranate juice and a generous slug of tequila mixed directly into the batter, typically ¼ to ½ cup of liquor. The cake is commonly made in a bundt pan, but whatever the execution, the resulting treat is a boozy, orange-grenadine inspired marvel perfect for serving at cocktail hour — or even for breakfast (call it another tequila sunrise, Eagles fans). Orange sail and cherry garnish optional.