Sex on the Beach
Vodka, peach schnapps, orange and cranberry juice over ice. The 1980s beach-bar highball the IBA made official — fruity, sweet, orange-pink, and a better drink with fresh juice than its name suggests.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Fill a highball or collins glass with ice.
Add the vodka, peach schnapps and orange juice and stir.
Pour the cranberry juice slowly over the top so it sinks in layers.
Garnish with an orange slice and serve with a straw.
A thoughtful finish
- Fresh orange juice makes it a real drink; carton juice makes it a punch.
- Three-quarters of an ounce of schnapps is enough; a full ounce is cloying.
- Shake it with ice and strain over fresh ice if you want it colder and better mixed.
Common mistakes
- Too much schnapps.
- Sweetened cranberry cocktail plus carton orange juice, which is pure sugar.
- Serving it without enough ice.
A few good questions.
What does a Sex on the Beach taste like?
Peach and orange with a tart cranberry edge — sweet, fruity and easy.
Is it an official cocktail?
Yes; it is on the IBA's list of contemporary classics.
Where does the name come from?
A 1980s Florida spring-break marketing joke for peach schnapps.
How strong is it?
About 13%; it is a long, juicy drink.
Variations
- Cape Codder — Vodka and cranberry juice.
- Fuzzy Navel — Peach schnapps and orange juice.
- Woo Woo — Vodka, peach schnapps and cranberry.
- Bay Breeze — Vodka, cranberry and pineapple.
Where it comes from
c. 1987 · Florida, United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Sex on the Beach belongs to the late-1980s peach-schnapps boom — DeKuyper’s Peachtree Schnapps launched in 1984 and the drinks built on it (the Fuzzy Navel, the Woo Woo, this) swept American bars within three years. The usual story credits a Florida bartender named Ted Pizio with inventing it in 1987 to sell Peachtree during spring break, naming it for the two things the students had come for. There is an older Sex on the Beach of vodka, Chambord, Midori and pineapple, but the orange-and-cranberry version is the one that lasted and the one the International Bartenders Association lists. It is a Cape Codder with orange juice and peach, and made with fresh orange juice and a restrained hand on the schnapps it is a pleasant long drink.
Sources
- IBA Official Cocktails, Sex on the Beach, current (standards body)
- Difford's Guide, Sex on the Beach, 2010 (reference)
- Liquor.com, Sex on the Beach, 2019 (reference)
Strength. About 1.25 US standard drinks at an estimated 12.4% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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