Virgin Sex on
the Beach

Vodka has little flavor of its own, so you don't need to replace it: it's mainly alcohol. The peach liqueur does more. It adds peach flavor, sweetness and a little thickness, which is why peach nectar is the logical substitute. Nectar is thicker than orange juice and gives the drink the body that would otherwise come from the liqueur. What you do miss is the dry finish of alcohol. That's why 1 cl of fresh lime juice is added: the acidity keeps the sweetness of the three types of juice in check. Taste after stirring; if it's still too sweet, add another half centiliter of lime juice.

Supermarket peach nectar is the easiest choice and gives the most consistent flavor. Peach syrup works too, but it is much more concentrated: use 1.5 cl of syrup and top up with 4.5 cl of cold water, otherwise the drink quickly becomes too sweet. In summer, a ripe peach is the tastiest option. Peel it, blend the flesh until smooth, and press it through a fine sieve; 6 cl of purée then replaces the nectar one-to-one. Fresh purée is thicker, so stir a little longer before adding the cranberry juice.

Check the package carefully. Much of the cranberry juice sold in supermarkets is actually a cranberry drink with water and added sugar, while pure cranberry juice is so sour and tart that you can hardly drink it on its own. For this recipe, the regular sweetened variety works best because the proportions are tailored to it. If you use pure juice, leave out the lime juice and add 1 cl of sugar syrup; the cranberry's acidity will do the work. The advantage of pure juice is that the color is a deeper red and the gradient in the glass is more noticeable.

For eight glasses, mix 48 cl of peach nectar, 32 cl of orange juice, and 8 cl of lime juice in a one-and-a-half-liter pitcher from our pitchers and chill it for at least two hours. Keep the cranberry juice separate and add 4 cl to each glass just before serving; otherwise, within ten minutes, the color gradient will become one uniform pink mass. It contains no alcohol or caffeine, so children can drink along too. If you would rather not use the name at a children's party, call it Virgin on the Beach. Find more ideas among our children's cocktails.

The regular version contains 4 cl of vodka and 2 cl of peach liqueur, bringing the drink to around 12 percent alcohol in the glass. Without those two ingredients, the virgin version is fruitier and rounder, and because there is no alcohol left to temper the sweetness, lime juice is added. The quantity remains virtually the same: 15 cl of liquid compared with 14 cl in the original, so the glass is just as full. The color, garnish, and glass are identical. If you serve both at a party, give the virgin version its own straw or an extra cherry so no one gets confused.

What is in a Virgin Sex on the Beach? Four juices and a garnish: 6 cl peach nectar, 4 cl fresh orange juice, 4 cl cranberry juice and 1 cl fresh lime juice, finished with an orange slice and a cocktail cherry. Refrigerate everything beforehand, so the ice does not have to cool the juice first and melts more slowly. There is no syrup or grenadine; the color comes entirely from the cranberry and orange. This keeps it balanced, fresh and not too sweet.