Sex on the beach

Sex on the beach is a fruity cocktail made with vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice, and cranberry juice. It is a popular drink for summer parties and beach vacations.

Sex on the beach recipe

• 4 cl Vodka
• 2 cl Peach schnapps
• 4 cl Orange juice
• 4 cl cranberry juice

Build all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange slice.

Building a Sex on the Beach over ice

1. Fill a highball glass to the top with fresh ice so the drink stays cold and properly diluted from the first sip to the last.
2. Pour in the vodka and peach schnapps first, letting the spirits settle through the ice.
3. Add the orange juice, then the cranberry juice. Pouring the juices last helps the color develop naturally and makes it easier to balance sweetness and tartness.
4. Give the drink a brief, gentle stir—just enough to combine everything without flattening the bright, juicy character.
5. Taste if you are batching or making multiple servings. If it seems too sweet, a touch more cranberry can sharpen it; if too tart, a little extra orange juice softens it.
6. Garnish with an orange slice on the rim or tucked into the glass, and serve immediately with a straw or sip straight from the glass.

What it tastes like in the glass

Sex on the Beach is fruity, easygoing, and crowd-pleasing. The peach element gives it a soft candy-like aroma, while orange brings round citrus sweetness and cranberry adds a light tart edge that keeps it from becoming cloying. It is a classic warm-weather highball: approachable, bright, and more juicy than spirit-forward.

Best way to serve it well

This drink is at its best very cold and freshly made. Use plenty of solid ice and decent-quality juice, especially the cranberry, since its tartness shapes the finish. If you want a slightly drier version, reduce the peach liqueur a little. For a brunch-friendly style, use fresh orange juice for a fuller citrus note.

1980s beach-bar fame and a fuzzy backstory

The exact origin is a little murky, but the most widely repeated story places the drink in Florida during the 1980s, when peach schnapps and flashy, fruit-forward cocktails were booming. Whether or not one bartender can claim it outright, the drink clearly belongs to that era of resort bars, neon nightlife, and easy-sipping contemporary classics.

A booze-free beachy riff

For a non-alcoholic version, combine peach nectar or peach syrup with orange juice and cranberry juice over ice. A small squeeze of lemon helps mimic the snap that alcohol normally brings. Garnish the same way, and you still get the sunset color and juicy, peach-citrus profile without the spirits.