Where it came from
The Sex on the Beach is the headline drink of the late-eighties peach schnapps boom. Most attributions point to a Florida bartender working at a TGI Fridays in Fort Lauderdale during the 1987 spring break season, when a national peach schnapps brand ran a sales contest. The bartender stretched a peach-and-cranberry build into a four-ingredient highball, slapped a beach-themed name on it, and sold thousands of them in a fortnight. The drink was on every cocktail menu in the country by the end of summer.
Ingredients
- 45ml / 1.5oz vodka
- 15ml / 0.5oz peach schnapps
- 60ml / 2oz cranberry juice
- 60ml / 2oz orange juice
- Orange slice and a maraschino cherry to garnish
How to build it
- Fill a highball glass with ice.
- Pour the vodka and peach schnapps over the ice.
- Top with the cranberry and orange juice in equal measures.
- Stir gently for two to three turns. Do not over-stir or the colour gradient flattens out.
- Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.
Ingredient spotlight: peach schnapps
Peach schnapps is the drink. It is what carries the candy-stone-fruit note that defines the flavour. Most American bars use a clear, neutral-base peach schnapps around 15 to 20% ABV. Avoid anything labelled “peach liqueur” with a brandy base if you want the classic version. Brandy-based peach is closer to a southern peach iced tea note and pulls the drink toward the Fuzzy Navel rather than Sex on the Beach.
Three variations worth knowing
Sex on the Beach with Chambord
Swap 15ml of the vodka for Chambord raspberry liqueur. The drink picks up a deeper red top layer and a raspberry note that plays better with the cranberry. This is the version that looks the prettiest in a glass.
Greek Sex on the Beach
Replace the vodka with ouzo. The aniseed pulls the whole drink in an herbal direction and you lose the candy sweetness in the best way. Sweet, sour, and a bit savoury all at once.
Frozen Sex on the Beach
Same ingredients, blended with a cup of crushed ice. Doubles up the cranberry juice to balance dilution. Serve in a hurricane glass with the orange slice on the rim.
Substitutions
- No peach schnapps? Apricot brandy works as the closest stand-in. The drink reads slightly drier and a touch more spicy.
- No cranberry juice? Pomegranate juice with a small splash of lime gives a similar tart note.
- No orange juice? Grapefruit juice changes the drink dramatically but in a good way. Sharper, more grown up.
- No vodka? White rum keeps the drink in the same flavour family. Gin is too botanical for this one.
FAQ
What is in a Sex on the Beach?
Vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry juice, and orange juice over ice in a highball glass. Forty five millilitres of vodka, fifteen millilitres of peach schnapps, sixty of each juice.
How strong is a Sex on the Beach?
A standard build sits around eight to nine percent ABV in the glass once you account for ice melt. Roughly equivalent to a strong glass of wine.
Is Sex on the Beach a sweet drink?
Yes. The schnapps and orange juice push it firmly into sweet territory. The cranberry is the only thing pulling it back. If you want it less sweet, use less schnapps and more cranberry.
What glass should it be served in?
A standard highball or hurricane glass. Anything tall enough to take ice, four ingredients, and a garnish without spilling.
Can you make it without alcohol?
Yes. Drop the vodka and schnapps. Use peach nectar or peach syrup instead of the schnapps for the flavour, and keep the cranberry and orange juices. Tastes like a tropical punch.
Why does mine taste too sweet?
You are likely using too much peach schnapps. Drop it to ten or twelve millilitres and add an extra splash of cranberry. The drink should read fruity, not candy.
Is Sex on the Beach the same as a Fuzzy Navel?
No. A Fuzzy Navel is just peach schnapps and orange juice. Sex on the Beach adds vodka and cranberry, which is what gives it the layered red-and-orange look.
Can I batch this for a party?
Yes. Mix everything except the ice in a pitcher in the same ratios. Add ice on serving. Half a litre of vodka with the proportional schnapps and juices feeds a small group.
Why is it called Sex on the Beach?
A Florida bartender named it during a 1987 peach schnapps sales contest. The name stuck because it was easy to remember and the drink looks like sunset in a glass.
