The sweet South American passionfruit provides the base for the pornstar martini, a drink that's a martini in name only. Coming from the imaginations of an English bartending professional in the early 2000s, the drink has inspired similarly zany and unusual cocktail combinations for the past twenty years. Take a look at how the drink came to be and learn how to make a perfect pornstar martini yourself.
Pornstar Martini
The classic pornstar martini, according to its inventor, Douglas Ankrah, combines passionfruit puree, passionfruit liqueur, and vanilla vodka together for a sweet and heady cocktail. You can even add a bit of citrus juice to cut at the sweetness, or round it off with some simple syrup. Top your drink experience with a small bubbly sidecar, and you've got yourself the perfect two-course liquid appetizer.
Ingredients
- ½ ounce vanilla simple syrup
- 1 ounce passionfruit puree
- ½ ounce passionfruit liqueur
- 1½ ounces vanilla vodka
- Ice
- 2 ounces sparkling white wine, chilled
- Half passionfruit for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the vanilla simple syrup, passionfruit puree, passionfruit liqueur, and vanilla vodka.
- Add ice and shake vigorously until chilled.
- Strain the mixture into a coupe glass or something similar.
- Garnish with a half of a passionfruit.
- Serve with a small glass of sparkling wine on the side.
How to Properly Drink a Pornstar Martini
The original pornstar martini is served with both a drink and a bubbly sidecar. This means that you want to enjoy the delicious flavors of the 'martini' first, before imbibing a small glass of Champagne, Prosecco, or similar sparkling wine. Much like a breakfast shot, this unique two-part cocktail can pack a serious punch.
Douglas Ankrah and the Pornstar Martini's Creation
In 2003, mixologist Douglas Ankrah invented the pornstar martini while developing the menu for the Knightsbridge's bar, Townhouse. Deeply involved in the cocktail Renaissance, the early 2000s saw new craft drinks like the espresso martini take over bar menus, and Ankrah envisioned his own brightly colored, richly flavored drink entitled the pornstar martini to stand alongside these other fabulous cocktails.
Interestingly, there's a lot of debate over what prompted the drink's name given that it hardly resembles the ingredients themselves; yet, a conclusive answer hasn't ever been agreed upon. However, Ankrah himself reports to the trade magazine, Punch, that the drink was "a complete accident" which he created in about 15 minutes. A longtime fan of the vanilla and passionfruit combination, Ankrah brought the pornstar martini to life, and soon it was being asked for at bars around the world.
Ways to Garnish a Pornstar Martini
Since the pornstar martini isn't your run of the mill martini, feel free to experiment with oddball garnishes to match the unique drink's kooky flavor. Here are a few garnishes to get you started:
- The classic way to garnish one of these is to slice a passionfruit in half, and place the half sliced side up in the center of the drink.
- Since vanilla is another one of the drink's important ingredients, add a vanilla bean into the drink to contrast the cocktail's rich turmeric coloring.
- Delicately place a few passionfruit seeds in the center of the drink for an elegant touch.
- If you want to turn your Martini into a dessert, swirl some dark chocolate syrup around the inside of your glass before pouring in your mixture.
Put a Little Passion in It
Capturing the wacky spirit of the early Millennium, the pornstar martini is a great drink to serve at fun functions and celebratory events as it'll be an unexpected favorite of all of your guests. For the best iterations of the drink, make sure to balance its sweetness as well as to chill all of your ingredients beforehand to create the smoothest drink possible.
