Is 'sorbet sex' a well recognized expression?

According to The Guardian:

For years, men have enjoyed ‘sorbet sex’ as a way of cleansing their palates between long-term relationships, but now women are joining the feast.

I’m interested to know whether sorbet sex is a well recognized phrase in the U.S. and in the U.K., and, if not, I would like to know what expression is used to refer to a casual sexual relationship undertaken between two serious relationships.

The journalist, Beverley D’Silva, says that the expression is a phrase used in Sex and the City, but Wikipedia’s “Sex and the City” page says nothing about that.

Dictionaries I consulted don’t have an entry for sorbet sex.

Solution 1:

I had a look through the Google Books results that @Kris posted in the comments and every single instance of the phrase (in some cases, the result seemed to be in error) was accompanied by an explanatory sentence or a full blown definition. In many cases (here, for example) it was considered so obscure that a Glossary entry was included to explain the term.

Combined with the fact that many of us don't seem to have heard the term before I feel safe saying that no, it is not a well recognized term.

Solution 2:

Speaking from a North American, big city perspective, I don't recognize it. I also don't know of a specific word or phrase to describe this type of relationship. I think the Guardian author was inventing a new phrase -- that's why he placed it in single quotes. If you want to use it, I think you would have to give an in-line explanation as the Guardian author does in your original post. Otherwise, you might just say "casual sex between relationships", "no-strings-attached sex," or some such.

Edit per comment: sorry, was just trying not to spam.