What is fuss about the Pornstar Martini? 1 of 365 (or is it 366)?

I must admit, this cocktail wasn’t initially on my radar at all, until we saw an article on Food24 listing The Top 10 (most) Googled Recipes in South Africa for 2019

Like you, the name really intrigued me and I had to try it!  My plan for the next couple of years (because it will take that long) is to feature some of the most popular cocktails – classic and modern, so this is a good start!  In the end, I hope to have featured a year’s worth of cocktails – so let’s call this 1 of 365!  And no, I will pace myself – this is a long-term project!  And I have a dayjob that requires me to get up at 4am on weekdays.

First, a bit of research.  Wondering about the origin?  This cocktail was created in 2002 in the UK by trend-setting mixologist Douglas Ankrah at The Townhouse bar in Knightsbridge. Originally it was called the “Maverick Martini”, in acknowledgement of the (disreputable) “Gentleman’s Club” in Cape Town.  Ah-a! A South African connection that I wasn’t aware of!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He later changed the name to the “Pornstar Martini” and as you can imagine it raised a lot of eyebrows from the unimaginative and boring. Eyeroll.  He had to deal with accusations of being addicted to porn and also glorifying pornography. Calm the f… down Karen. Where this is the only thing that Douglas has to say about it:

“The drink is very evocative and tantalising. I called it Pornstar because I thought it was something that a Pornstar would drink, there’s nothing sexual there.”

And it surely is delicious! Don’t expect your typical James Bond-style martini here, this is fruity and voluptuous.  That is actually one of the controversies of this drink, some say that it should not be called a “martini” at all. The Pornstar Martini is currently the most popular cocktail in the United Kingdom, and the fact that it is super Instra-worthy (and from the Google search results featured above), in South Africa as well.

This is the original recipe: 50ml vanilla vodka, 20ml passionfruit (Passoa) liqueur, 50ml passionfruit puree, 2 barspoons of homemade vanilla sugar.  Topped up with Prosecco and served with 1/2 fresh passionfruit.  (from: https://stevethebartender.com.au/pornstar-martini-cocktail-recipe/)

The recipe I tried was taken from the BBC Food website, but I also changed that recipe. The reason I chose to do so is to make the recipe very accessible, so it will be easy to whip up your very own Pornstar at home.  I also used a classic champagne coupe.

Ready to try this controversial modern classic?

Here goes!

The Pornstar Martini – 1 of 365

This makes 2 cocktails.

• 2 Ripe passion fruits, halved (or as we also know it “granadillas”).

It is easy to see if a passion fruit is ripe, the skin should have a wrinkly appearance.

• 60 ml vanilla vodka

I used Absolut’s Vanilla Vodka.  This was my first time trying it and I loved it!  In general, I am a fan of all things vanilla, and this worked so well with the passion fruit in the cocktail.  I guess this is why this cocktail is such a hit as well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• In a cocktail shaker combine 60 ml vanilla vodka, 60 ml passion fruit juice, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and the seeds of 1 passion fruit.  Keep the 2 other halves of the fruit for serving!
• Add some ice and shake well
• Strain into 2 glasses
• Top up with bubbly (the classic recipe calls for prosecco, but we had a lovely dry Spumante from Woolies.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sidebar:  I saw an interesting version on Difford’s Guide https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/2883/porn-star-martini where the prosecco is served on the side as well.

And as the pièce de résistance, top with a passion fruit half.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sip immediately.

That is it!  No mess, no fuss.  No complicated ingredients or special syrups and equipment. And decadently delicious!  Buy LOTS of passion fruit while it is still in season because you will not be able to have only 1 batch of these!

If you have recommendations of which drink(s) to try next in my 365 Cocktails series, let me know in the comments below!

http://www.the-buyer.net/people/on-trade/douglas-ankrah-lab-bar-pornstar-trends/