There are few drinks with names quite as suggestive as the Pornstar Martini. You can’t hear the words without having some kind of reaction, whether it’s amusement, outrage, or curiosity. Maybe it sounds fun and playful, or rich and indulgent, or cheap and tawdry. But one thing is for sure – with a name like that, it’s not going to be boring.
The Pornstar Martini always had a negative connotation in my mind, not so much because of the name (though it didn’t exactly help), but because I thought of it as a saccharine vodka drink clumsily topped with a bit of cheap Prosecco. It turns out I was wrong about everything except the vodka. Made correctly, the Pornstar Martini is not overly sweet, and actually skews a bit tart. It’s because of this that it works so nicely with its proper accompaniment, a sidecar of Prosecco meant to be enjoyed alongside – rather than dumped into – the cocktail.
It was learning about this unique presentation that first made me look at the Pornstar Martini with fresh eyes, and when I got a bottle of Chinola, a delicious passionfruit liqueur, I knew that I could make a version of the provocative drink that I would love. I’m clearly not the only one reexamining the early-2000s recipe – the Pornstar Martini has been popping up on more and more menus, and it was even the most popular cocktail in the UK in 2018.
If the name of this drink is the last thing holding you back, you can opt for one of the tamer monikers out there, like Popstar Martini, Passion Star Martini, or Maverick Martini (its original name). But I sort of hope you don’t. This drink is a whole package, its name, presentation, and flavor all coming together to offer a very singular experience.
History of the Porn Star Martini
The Pornstar Martini was created by Douglas Ankrah. He conceived of the idea in 2002, when he was visiting Cape Town, South Africa. He would frequently go to a gentleman’s club called Maverick to work on his cocktail book, Shaken and Stirred. (In all the accounts of the Pornstar Martini’s creation, no one seems very curious about this unusual choice of workspace. I can’t help but picture Ankrah hunched over a laptop in the middle of a nude strip club, fully focused on his manuscript.) In addition to working on the book, he was about to open his second bar in London, Townhouse. While walking to Mavericks one morning, the idea popped into his head: a drink made with vodka, passionfruit, and Prosecco, three of the most popular ingredients at the time. He decided to call it the Maverick Martini.
Back in London, Ankrah realized that the drink needed a name change before it could be put on the menu at Townhouse. And the rest, as they say, is history.
“I called it Pornstar because I thought it was something that a Pornstar would drink,” Ankrah said in a 2017 interview. “There’s nothing sexual there.”
The Pornstar Martini was a success, and it has remained a success in spite of – or perhaps because of – its provocative name. And the drink’s unique presentation certainly plays a role.
“Pornstar is a stylish and confident drink,” Ankrah said. “It’s pure indulgence, sexy, fun and evocative.”
Pornstar Martini
1.5 oz. vanilla vodka
1/2 oz. passionfruit liqueur
1 oz. passionfruit purée
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. vanilla simple syrup*
2 oz. chilled sparkling wine
Combine vodka, passionfruit liqueur, passionfruit purée, lime juice, and simple syrup in a shaker. Add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with half a passionfruit. Serve with the sparkling wine as a sidecar in a separate glass.
*For vanilla simple syrup, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan and simmer, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Add a vanilla bean, split lengthwise, and let it infuse for several hours. Strain. Alternatively (since vanilla beans ain’t cheap!) you can add 1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract to one cup prepared simple syrup.
Recipe from Liquor.com. Historical information from Punch.