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Sex on the Beach Cocktail is a drink with a spicy name, but with sweet, refreshing, tropical flavors mixed with vodka to keep you cool!

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A Sex on the Beach Cocktail is a drink with a spicy name, but a sweet and refreshing taste to keep you cool! There’s nothing like a load of tropical flavors and vodka mixed into one drink.
Y’all, I’ve been down a rabbit hole again, researching the histories and names of the cocktails I enjoy … I mean, “Sex on the Beach”?! 🤣
Apparently, its exact history is lost to time. (Like all good alcoholic treats!!) But from what I can see, the most popular Sex on the Beach story claims a bartender named Ted Pizio created it in the 1980s.
He needed to sell the most peach schnapps during spring break for a contest in his Florida city. From there, the Sex on the Beach cocktail was born – one part vodka, one part peach schnapps, and loads of tropical fruit juices mixed in!
I think I was expecting something more … R-rated!! Ha! 🙈
If you’ve never had a Sex on the Beach cocktail before, it’s an easy-to-make drink with a sweet and very tropical flavor.
Best of all – for those who may not like the taste of vodka – it’s loaded with yummy fruit juice to take the edge off the alcohol.
Sweet and refreshing, but with plenty of punch … it’s another wonderful summertime drink! I hope you enjoy it, because I know I will now that the weather’s getting warmer!
Sex on the Beach Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
To make this Sex on the Beach recipe, you will need …
Ingredients
- vodka – in some cocktails, your vodka choice matters. I’d say in this one, vodka is vodka. Any on hand will be fine since the fruit juice will be the main taste!
- peach schnapps – make sure not to confuse peach schnapps with peach liqueur!
- orange juice – the first of your fruity non-alcoholic drinks. Pulped or 100% is fine, but the latter makes for a smoother drink in texture and looks!!
- cranberry juice – the best to use for this recipe is 100% cranberry juice with a blend of some other sweet fruit juices. (Like Ocean Spray brand for example.) Normally, a pure unsweetened cranberry juice cocktail makes this drink too tart or bitter, but if you find the drink too sweet already, then unsweetened cranberry juice is worth a try.
- garnish – is totally optional. You can use cherries, an orange slice – whatever seems to fit!
- ice – you can’t have a cocktail without some ice!! Trying freezing some juice or a bit of the cocktail to make for the cubes, just to keep it from diluting the flavor as it melts.
NOTE: Throw all this, and some ice, into a blender for a yummy Sex on the Beach slushie! 😍
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Sex on the Beach: FAQs
Sure!! A virgin Sex on the Beach is called a Cuddles on the Beach … yes, really, y’all. You would just need to leave out the vodka (if you want, you can replace the vodka with ginger ale, club soda, or your favorite lemon-lime soda) and replace the peach schnapps with peach nectar.
Just under 5 minutes! As with many cocktails, you’re basically just mixing the ingredients together…a lot of them are much simpler than they look!!
Just one! You might have to make a few batches if all your friends want one. 😊
I see a lot of people replace the orange juice with grapefruit juice or pineapple juice! Adding lemon juice will balance out a lot of the sweetness too if you find this cocktail a bit too indulgent!
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Sex on the Beach Cocktail
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Ingredients
- 1 ounce vodka
- 1 ounce peach schnapps
- 1 ounce orange juice
- 1 ounce cranberry juice
- ice
- Maraschino cherrries or orange slice, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Fill your glass with ice.
- Add the vodka, peach schnapps, and orange juice to the glass.
- Slowly pour the cranberry juice over the top to get that iconic color mixture.
- Garnish with cherries and/or an orange slice. Enjoy!
Notes
- This is an excellent drink for someone who doesn’t drink much or is new to drinking. It is bursting with fruity flavors and doesn't have a strong alcoholic taste compared to some other drinks. Bonus – it is very simple to make!
- If you prefer, you can add your ingredients to a cocktail shaker and add ice. Shake for 15 seconds and strain the mixture over ice in a glass for a deep orange color.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.