The Rich Ingredient That Makes Sex On The Beach Even Better

Sex on the Beach is a popular summertime drink with a catchy name that has been around for decades. There is some debate about the cocktail's origin, however, with a bartender in Florida named Ted Pizio often being recognized as its creator. Pizio is credited with creating the peach schnapps-heavy cocktail during a promotion for the fruity liqueur. It got particularly famous, though, when it was mentioned in Tom Cruise's 1988 flick, "Cocktail." But before either of those events, the recipe for Sex on the Beach could be found in The American Bartender's School Guide to Drinks, which was published in 1981.

The drink is typically made by combining vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice, and cranberry juice. It looks and tastes tropical, exudes summer vibes, and put in a hurricane glass with a maraschino cherry and orange slice garnish ... well, you can just picture the waves crashing in while you bask in the sun and sip away. But what if we told you there was a way to make Sex on the Beach even better? If the flavors all sound good but you prefer a richer, creamier version of this tropical fave, a little heavy cream is just the ingredient you need.

While Sex on the Beach is typically made like a combination of a Fuzzy Navel (peach schnapps and orange juice) and a Cape Codder (a vodka and cranberry juice cocktail that is the unexpected favorite holiday drink for the state of Maine), there are plenty of other variations. Some like to add dashes of rum, grenadine, or crème de cassis. Others swap the orange juice with pineapple juice for an even more tropical twist.

But for a creamy upgrade to this summertime classic, add an ounce of heavy cream before shaking it up and pouring into a glass with ice. You can get away with stirring a Sex on the Beach without the cream, but with the dairy you'll want a good shake to blend it properly. (Pro tip: Chill the glass in the freezer before filling it up with the good stuff.)

As you can imagine, the fresher the ingredients, the better the drink, but one cannot express the importance of high-quality vodka for this delectable cocktail. (Don't worry we have some vodka recommendations for you.) Fruit juices won't mask the flavor of a bottom-shelf bottle.