When we talk about great classics of mixology, we always think of recipes with a long history, but this is not always the case. Many times, we are faced with drinks that have quickly gained international limelight. This is the case of Pornstar Martini, a cocktail born in 2002 and included in the New Era Drinks section of the prestigious IBA list (International Bartenders Association) of international cocktails.
History
It was a hot summer day in Cape Town when a bartender, Douglas Ankrah – who passed away prematurely in 2021 at the age of 51 – thought of a recipe that would completely change the fate of his new restaurant: the Townhouse, located in the London residential and commercial district of Knightsbridge. Two ideas, combined, led to the creation of the perfect formula: combining three ingredients that were particularly popular at the time, vodka, champagne and passion fruit, and pair the latter with vanilla, given the already appreciated success of the combination in pastry making. The name of the drink was initially supposed to be Maverick Martini in homage to a nightclub the bartender frequented in Cape Town, but Pornstar Martini would have been much more appreciated, and so it was. First of all, in the newly opened venue and in the LAB, Ankrah's other London establishment that was initially born as a bartending school. Then, soon also throughout the world, to the point of even becoming the most requested drink in 2019 in the UK.
Recipe
Vanilla vodka, passion fruit liqueur (Passoa), vanilla sugar, passion fruit and champagne. These are the five main ingredients of the Pornstar Martini. The first documented recipe is that of Ankrah himself, in the book Shaken and stirred, published in 2004. The main peculiarity of this drink is that it was conceived by the bartender as divided into three parts: the recipe composed of vanilla vodka, Passoa, pulp and seeds of a passion fruit and vanilla sugar, shaken and double strained, the two halves of a passion fruit dusted with vanilla sugar and a glass of Champagne.. The bubble is therefore not the “top” of the drink, but should be consumed after the fruit and before the cocktail. In the IBA recipe, all the original characteristics of the drink have been maintained, except for the passion fruit, which here is used to decorate the glass, and the doses, which see a reduction in the vodka and champagne, and an increase in passion fruit liqueur.
Pornstar Martini Recipe – Shakend and stirred, 2004
- 80 ml Cariel Vanilla Vodka
- 15 ml Step
- Pulp and seeds of 2 passion fruits
- 4 teaspoons vanilla sugar
- 100ml of Champagne
- 1 passion fruit cut in half
Pornstar Martini Recipe – IBA
- 50 ml vanilla vodka
- 20 ml passion fruit liqueur
- 50 ml passion fruit puree
- 2 bar spoons of vanilla sugar
- 50ml Champagne
