One of the most popular cocktails in the world, and the most popular cocktail in the United Kingdom, the pornstar martini cocktail is a drink like no other.
From the brain of a genius
The pornstar martini cocktail is really quite different from a classic martini, eschewing the heavy gin flavour of the classic drink for something far fruitier, with vanilla vodka and passionfruit dominating the drinker’s palate. The drink was first mixed by one Douglas Ankrah, the owner of two famous London bars: LAB and the Townhouse Bar. Initially, it was thought that he had first made the drink at LAB in 1999, but the mixologist himself is clear that he invented it four years later when designing the first cocktail menu for his hit bar the Townhouse. But, what about that name? Is this a drink named after a late-night encounter Ankrah could not shift from his mind? Or the customer for whom he first made it? It turns out not. Instead, Ankrah claims that he named it as he did because he thought it was something a porn star would drink: “pure indulgence, sexy, fun and evocative”.
A host of delicious ingredients
The pornstar martini is a drink full of the most indulgent ingredients possible. First up, there is Passoã, a French passion fruit liqueur that is thick and heavily sweet. An extra shot of passionfruit flavour is delivered by a hit of fresh passionfruit puree. To cut through this sweetness, a large shot of plain vodka is added along with a jot of vanilla-flavoured vodka, which gives yet more complexity to the flavour of the drink and complements the fruit. The drink is then finished off with a squirt of lemon juice to keep it refreshing and a shot of Prosecco at its side to be sipped alongside the cocktail. When finished, the drink will be smooth in texture and a vibrant orange-yellow colour. It is often served with an upturned half passion fruit floating on its surface.
Where and how to drink it
Ideally, you should drink a pornstar martini at a dreamy cocktail bar looking out over the skyline of one of the world’s great cities. And, if you’re in London you can still do that, as the Townhouse Bar where the drink was invented still makes the classic for its customers. In terms of food pairings, passionfruit is strongly flavoured and it won’t go terribly well with savoury food. But, served with ice cream, some light cheese like mascarpone, a vanilla sorbet or even some other fruit – watermelon, for example – a pornstar martini will be delicious as a digestif.
Where to get one
A drink popular across the world, it’s never too tricky to find a pornstar martini. But, what’s important – at least if you want to honour its creator – is finding a good one. One of our favourite pornstar martinis in Singapore is made at Secret Lab Bistro Bar.
