Fuzzy Navel

Updated Apr 17, 2026 · 2 min read

Meet the Fuzzy Navel. Don’t be turned off by the bizarre name, which is admittedly not the most appetizing. Before your mind wanders to grooming habits, the explanation is quite si.

The easygoing two-parter enjoyed its heyday in the 1980s, an era known for its fun although not particularly well-respected cocktails. When DeKuyper released its peach schnapps into the American market in 1984, bartenders had yet another sweet, friendly ingredient to employ. That’s around the time that New Jersey bartender and “Bartending for Dummies” author Ray Foley got his hands on a bottle.

Foley mixed equal-parts peach schnapps and orange juice together, creating a fruity highball that packed less of a punch than the Screwdriver (vodka and orange juice). The drink soon solidified its place in every bartender’s repertoire, and it also propelled DeKuyper’s Peachtree Schnapps to become one of the country’s best-selling spirits.

The drink is regularly made with bottled orange juice, which makes a decent cocktail if that’s all you have. But try squeezing your own. Fresh OJ takes the drink to new heights, complementing the fruity liqueur with a richer, more citrusy taste. After all, your brunches deserve nothing but the best.

The Fuzzy Navel proves that you only need two mere ingredients to create a notorious cocktail. But that doesn’t mean you can’t riff on the original. Substitute vodka for half of the peach schnapps, and you’ve just made a Hairy Navel.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces peach schnapps
• 3 ounces orange juice, freshly squeezed

Steps

1. Add the peach schnapps and orange juice into a highball glass over ice, and stir briefly to combine.
2. Garnish with an orange slice.