What makes a drink a "girly drink"?

“It may be worth pausing to ask, why is it that the drinks that women drink cause embarrassment while the drinks that men drink are reason for praise? It's no more or less arbitrary than the fact that men who sew or knit or vacuum are being feminized (a bad thing) and women who ride motorcycles are sexy. So, add a little testosterone to the girlie girl, and she rises in everyone's estimation. Add a little estrogen to the man's man, and he should crawl under a shawl of shame.”

- Ada Brunstein, “Women, Whiskey and Libationary Liberation”

So the author of this article has a simple question, "What makes a drink a "girly drink"? She makes the argument that sugary drinks are synonymous with femininity and is looked down upon by men and drink connoisseurs. Whiskey and beer drinking women are looked at as tough and independent while a man drinking a fruity or sugary drink is emasculating and thought of as a disgrace.

The writer notes that many men created or are famous for drinking fruity and sugary drinks. She argues the reason why this phenomenon of sugary drink associated with femininity began with the popularization of the cosmopolitan on Sex and the City. The cosmo's bright pink color and it's "open-skirt" glass makes it feminine but is no different from the sugary concoctions men shoot down at bars or parties. The writer believes the "girly drink" stigma is rooted in sexism and homophobia. 

I find it interesting that gender stereotypes can be found as far down as to what we like to drink. Your drink preferences shouldn't declare your masculinity/femininity or detract from your masculinity/femininity. But in our very social society your drink preference is a reflection of yourself which is unfortunate.