Pornstar Martini
Vanilla vodka, passion fruit, lime, and a shot of prosecco on the side. Douglas Ankrah's 2002 London invention and, for twenty years, Britain's most-ordered cocktail.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe.
Add the vodka, passion fruit liqueur, passion fruit purée, lime juice and vanilla syrup to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12 seconds — it should be cold and frothy.
Double strain into the coupe, float half a passion fruit on top, and serve with the chilled prosecco in a shot glass on the side.
A thoughtful finish
- Ripe passion fruit is wrinkled, not smooth. A smooth one is sour and thin; a wrinkled one is sweet and fragrant.
- If you use plain vodka, the vanilla syrup is essential and half an ounce is right. If you use vanilla vodka, cut the syrup to a quarter-ounce.
- The prosecco is meant to be drunk between sips, or tipped in at the end. Either is correct; Ankrah left it to the drinker.
Common mistakes
- Passion fruit syrup in place of purée. The drink loses its sharpness and turns into a sweet.
- Shaking briefly. The froth on top comes from a hard, long shake.
- Skipping the lime. Without acid the vanilla and passion fruit are cloying.
A few good questions.
Why is it called a Pornstar Martini?
Douglas Ankrah chose the name for shock value and because he thought the drink was indulgent and a little outrageous. Some bars list it as a Passion Fruit Martini for that reason.
What do I do with the prosecco?
Whatever you like. Sip it between mouthfuls, drink it as a chaser, or pour it into the cocktail. The inventor's intention was the first.
Can I make it without passion fruit liqueur?
Yes — use a little more purée and a touch more syrup. The liqueur adds body and a bit of sweetness, but fresh fruit is the main flavour.
Is it a Martini?
No. It is a shaken fruit sour served in a stemmed glass, which is all 'Martini' has meant on menus since the 1990s.
Variations
- Espresso Martini — Vodka, coffee liqueur and espresso — the other London modern classic.
- French Martini — Vodka, raspberry liqueur and pineapple.
- Cosmopolitan — Citrus vodka, lime, orange liqueur and cranberry.
- Passion Fruit Daiquiri — Rum, lime and passion fruit.
Where it comes from
2002 · London · Douglas Ankrah · Townhouse, Knightsbridge
Douglas Ankrah created the drink in 2002 at his bar Townhouse in Knightsbridge, and it became famous at his other bar, LAB in Soho. He said the name was chosen because the drink was ‘pure indulgence, sexy, fun and evocative’, and that he first called it the Maverick Martini after a club in Cape Town. The sidecar of chilled sparkling wine — to be sipped between mouthfuls or poured in — is his, and so is the half passion fruit floated on top. It became the best-selling cocktail in the United Kingdom through the 2010s and remained so for years after Ankrah’s death in 2021.
Sources
- Douglas Ankrah, Shaken and Stirred, 2004 (book)
- The Guardian, Douglas Ankrah obituary, 2021 (article)
- Robert Simonson, Modern Classic Cocktails, 2022 (book)
Strength. About 1.53 US standard drinks at an estimated 12.3% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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