Portman: Sex on the Beach must end

by John Harrington Bedford brewer Charles Wells has claimed a Portman Group ruling against its Sex on the Beach cocktail mix in the Muse range could herald the demise of traditional cocktails and stifle choice for the consumer. Sex on the Beach ­ one of seven flavours in the Muse cocktail mixers range ­ fell foul of Portman's Code of Practice for responsible drinks marketing because it was judged to have a direct or indirect link to sexual success. Two other brands were judged to have breached the Code for this reason ­ X on the Beach cocktail mixer from Manhattan Cocktails, and Shooters from Shooters UK, which come in test tubes with suggestive names such as "Love Juice" and "Foreplay". Portman ruled that Sex on the Beach was in breach of its Code of Practice even though the name was "well known and widely used" as a cocktail. Charles Wells said that the cocktail was created in direct response to pubcos' requests to ease cocktail production in busy bars. It said that having the brand blacklisted would only make the process of cocktail making more difficult, and a ban would not stop retailers making their own version of the cocktail because Portman's remit does not include retailers. Charles Wells sales and marketing manager Nigel McNally said: "If we are not able to sell a concentrate mix to retailers purely on the basis of its name, it seems to make a mockery of the ruling if retailers continue to market their own Sex on the Beach cocktail." The Shooters range was judged to have appealed to under-18s because of the "unusual and gimmicky" nature of the packaging and the bright colours. The image of a gun sight used on the packaging was also deemed to suggest an association with guns.