Sex on the Beach
Vodka, peach schnapps, orange and cranberry juice over ice. Fruity, sweet and quick to build.
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Highball
- Strength
- 2 UK units
How to make a Sex on the Beach
- Fill the glass with ice. Pack a highball glass to the top with cubes. More ice means slower dilution, so the drink stays cold and strong to the last sip.
- Pour the spirits. Add the vodka and peach schnapps over the ice.
- Add the orange juice and stir. Pour in the orange juice and stir gently for about 5 seconds, until the outside of the glass feels cold.
- Top with cranberry. Slowly pour in the cranberry juice so it ripples through. Add an orange slice and serve.
- Glass
- HighballNo highball? Any tall glass.
- Ice
- Ice cubes
- Garnish
- Orange sliceOr: A few frozen cranberries or a lime wedge.
What you need to make a Sex on the Beach
Bottles we'd use
- Peach schnappsDeKuyper is cheap and widely stocked. It is sweet, so keep to the 20 ml.Find it on Amazon
- Cranberry juiceChoose a pure or low-sugar one. Cranberry juice drink is much sweeter.Find it on Amazon
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Sex on the Beach variations and swaps
Take out the orange juice and use 80 ml of cranberry juice and you have a Woo Woo. Leave out the vodka and cranberry juice, use 80 ml of orange juice and raise the peach schnapps to 40 ml, and it is a Fuzzy Navel. Pineapple juice in place of the orange juice gives a sweeter, more tropical drink. Making a jug for six? Stir 240 ml of vodka, 120 ml of peach schnapps, 240 ml of orange juice and 240 ml of cranberry juice together, chill it and pour over plenty of ice.
The Sex on the Beach story
It is usually dated to the 1980s in the United States, often linked to a peach schnapps promotion in Florida. The accounts vary, and no inventor has been confirmed, so treat the neat origin stories with some care.
The drink is simple to build and easy to throw off. Use fresh-tasting juice, plenty of ice and let the cranberry sit on top as a colour layer if you like. If it is too sweet, add a squeeze of lime.
Sex on the Beach: your questions answered
What is in a Sex on the Beach?
A Sex on the Beach is made with 40 ml vodka, 20 ml peach schnapps, 40 ml orange juice and 40 ml cranberry juice. Garnish: orange slice.
How strong is a Sex on the Beach?
Made to this recipe, a Sex on the Beach contains about 2 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Sex on the Beach in?
Serve a Sex on the Beach in a highball over ice. No highball? Any tall glass.
