Few cocktails say ‘sexy’ like the Pornstar Martini does. This fun and evocative drink has a habit of making your evenings at home feel like you’re out and about, living it up, partying like it’s 1999 – or maybe 2003, who knows?
How the Martini-that’s-not-a-Martini became a modern-day classic? Let me tell you. The exact year of it’s conception remains vague: some sources say 1999, others 2002 or 2003. There is however no doubt who invented the Pornstar Martini: Douglas Ankrah, ‘drinks innovator’, cocktail writer and founder of the (now closed) LAB and Townhouse bars in London.
His original recipe consisted of vanilla vodka, passion fruit liqueur and passion fruit purée, shaken and served up with a sidecar shot of Champagne. The name just popped into his head. “I thought it was something that a pornstar would drink, there’s nothing sexual there,” Ankrah said in an interview. He just liked the idea of getting his clientele out of their comfort zone by ordering something bold and cheeky.
Ankrah characterized the combination of passion fruit and a vanilla-flavoured spirit as “a match made in heaven”. Sir Edmond Gin does the trick as well, even better than vodka. And truth be told, it’s delicious. Got curious? Make your own Pornstar Martini at home by following these steps:
Step 1: Cool your Martini glass
Step 2: Pour 45 ml of Sir Edmond Gin into a shaker
Step 3: Add 15 ml of Passoã or De Kuyper passion fruit liqueur
Step 4: Add 60 ml of passion fruit purée
Step 5: Sprinkle 2 barspoons of vanilla sugar on top
Step 6: Shake, pour into cooled Martini glass and garnish with half a passion fruit
Step 7: Don’t forget the sidecar of dry Champagne (intended to alternate with the cocktail as a palate cleanser)