Sex on the Beach
A sweet, fruity highball built on vodka and peach schnapps, rounded out with cranberry and orange juice — the definitive 1980s Florida party cocktail.
About the Sex on the Beach
Sex on the Beach is a sweet, low-intensity vodka cocktail built for easy drinking rather than showcasing any one spirit. Vodka and peach schnapps form the base, topped with roughly equal parts cranberry and orange juice for a bright, sunset-coloured highball that’s more about approachability than complexity.
The drink is a 1980s Florida creation. The most commonly told origin story credits bartender Ted Pizio at Confetti’s Bar in Fort Lauderdale in 1987, who invented it for a contest sponsored by a spirits company promoting its new peach schnapps — reasoning that spring-breakers would respond better to “sex and beaches” than to a conventional name. Printed recipes for a near-identical combination appear in cocktail guides as early as 1982, though, so the Confetti’s story is likely a popularization moment rather than the true point of origin — a pattern common to a lot of disputed cocktail-origin tales. The drink likely evolved as a mashup of two cocktails already popular at the time: the Cape Codder (vodka and cranberry juice) and the Fuzzy Navel (peach schnapps and orange juice).
It’s served over ice in a tall glass, usually garnished with an orange slice and a cherry, and is a reliable party cocktail — the juice-heavy base batches well ahead of time, making it easy to pour for a crowd.
The Classic Recipe
Classic Sex on the Beach — Serves 1
- 1.5 oz (45ml) vodka
- 1 oz (30ml) peach schnapps
- 1.5 oz (45ml) cranberry juice
- 1.5 oz (45ml) orange juice
- Orange slice and cocktail cherry, to garnish
Method
- Fill a highball glass with ice.
- Pour in the vodka and peach schnapps.
- Top with cranberry juice, then orange juice.
- Give a brief stir to combine, then garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.
Tips for the Best Sex on the Beach
- Layer it for looks. Pour the cranberry juice in last and let it sink through the orange juice for a pretty sunset gradient before you stir.
- Balance the juices to taste. Some bars lean more cranberry-forward, others more orange-forward — adjust the ratio to suit your own palate.
- Use fresh orange juice when you can. Fresh-squeezed makes a noticeable difference over the carton stuff.
- Batch it for a crowd. Pre-mix the vodka, schnapps, and juices in a pitcher ahead of time and simply pour over ice to order.
- Chill your juices ahead of time. Cold ingredients mean less ice melt and a less watered-down drink.
Popular Variations
Woo Woo
A simplified, close relative made with just vodka, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice — effectively a two-thirds version of the full drink.
Pineapple Sex on the Beach
Pineapple juice swapped in for or added alongside the orange juice, a common variant depending on regional bar preference.
Malibu Sex on the Beach
Part of the vodka replaced with Malibu coconut rum for an even beachier, coconut-forward take.
Virgin Sex on the Beach
Cranberry and orange juice with a peach syrup or puree, omitting the vodka and schnapps entirely for a full-flavour mocktail.
How to Serve
Glass: A tall highball glass, which holds the ice and shows off the layered orange-to-cranberry colour.
Ice: Fill the glass with ice before pouring for maximum chill and minimal dilution.
Batching for a crowd: Pre-mix all four liquid ingredients together in the right ratio ahead of time, then simply pour over ice per glass — one of the easier cocktails on this site to scale up for a party.
Related Database Entries
Explore the key ingredients and spirits in this cocktail: