Is the Porn Star Martini the Next “It” Cocktail?

Tart, tangy and a tad irreverent, this seductive cocktail doesn’t need caffeine to generate a buzz.

Porn Star Martini at Next Door, Grand Cayman credit Kelly Magyarics

It’s time for the ubiquitous espresso martini to be dethroned from its perch at the top of seemingly every cocktail menu. 

Yeah, I said it. Truth be told, I've never really been a fan, less so the past few years since I no longer drink coffee. I can get behind someone ordering one for brunch or dessert, but I’ll never understand why you’d want to drink one, say, in a swim-up bar or before dinner. 

Those of us more drawn to "bright, lively and fresh" sips will be positively chuffed to learn that another cocktail—one whose profile couldn’t be less like the coffee-based concoction—has been gaining traction, more than two decades after its creation: the salaciously-named, easy-to-sip Porn Star Martini.  

For the unfamiliar, this libation was invented in 2002 by the late Douglas Ankrah at his London bar Townhouse. While it was inspired by a visit to a Cape Town strip club, Ankrah was quick to point out that he chose the name for a drink he deemed indulgent, sexy and fun—and not for any proclivity towards x-rated cinema. 

The drink, which falls into the Sour category, shakes vanilla vodka and vanilla-infused sugar with passion fruit liqueur and puree, strained into a cocktail glass and garnished with half a passion fruit. But here’s the really fun part: since it’s served with a small Sidecar of Champagne, it’s two drinks in one. For anyone who’s a sucker for Champagne and the zesty, mouthwatering lift of passion fruit (hello, have you met me?), the porn star martini is utterly irresistible.

“It’s got a lot of things going for it—the provocative name, the beautiful appearance, the side of Champagne, how approachable it is,” says Micah Wilder, Director of Beverage, Garden Hospitality, Washington, D.C., who has one on the menu at L’Ardente. “In the cocktail world, passion fruit is the fan favorite.”

Kelly at Next Door, Grand Cayman credit Kelly Magyarics

I’ve sampled versions all around the world, both ones that stay true to the original and others that take a little liberty. A porn star martini I sampled at Next Door Bar in Grand Cayman, for example, was topped with a lusciously creamy homemade coconut foam. At Silver Lyan, the Washington, D.C. craft cocktail bar created by Ryan Chetiyawarda (“Mr. Lyan”), I threw back a riff that was reimagined as a Jell-o shot—a complicated recipe that requires some molecular mixology parlor tricks. 

Silver Lyan jello shot credit Kelly Magyarics

“Passion fruit and vanilla are some of the most accessible and universally loved flavors in the world,” says Mr. Lyan. “I think people need some joy in their lives given the state of the world, and it's distinctly playful and fun as a drink.” I find it one of those drinks that instantly evokes happy vibes—it’s almost like sipping sunshine. 

As Wilder puts it, “the cocktail is a knockout blueprint with a lot of details to run wild with,” ranging from switching up the garnish, clarifying it, lighting the passion fruit garnish on fire tiki style, and pouring the Champagne into the drink. “It’s really very versatile and a great jumping-off point for creativity.

Alluringly decadent, the porn star martini is frisky, fabulous and ready for its close up: 

Porn Star Martini

Porn Star Martini

Original recipe created by Douglas Ankrah at Townhouse in London, UK

1 ½ oz. vanilla vodka (ideally Grey Goose La Vanille or Absolut Vanilla)

½ oz. passion fruit liqueur (like Passoa)

2 oz. passion fruit puree

2 bar spoons vanilla sugar (see note)

2 oz. chilled Champagne, served on the side in a small coupe

½ sliced-open passionfruit, for garnish

Add the first four ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with the passion fruit half and serve with the Champagne on the side. 

For the vanilla sugar:

Combine 1 cup sugar with ½ scraped vanilla pod in a food processor until integrated. Sift using a sieve, then store in a cool dark place.

Benjamin Hollywood Porn Star Martini

Recipe courtesy of Nathan Oliver, Beverage Director and Assistant General Manager, The Benjamin Hollywood, Hollywood, CA

Benjamin Hollywood Porn Star Martini

Oliver believes the mere mention of combining two acid-forward ingredients like passion fruit and Champagne is enough to make anyone’s mouth water. He especially likes the interactive nature of this version, for which the bartender adds the Champagne to the cocktail in front of the guest. “The edgy name of this cocktail streaks fascination in people who have never tried it before,” he says. “For people that have had it and it's made correctly and served balanced, it's hard to drink only one or even three.”

1 ½ oz. coconut-infused Amass Vodka (see note)

¾ oz. passion fruit puree (equal parts passion fruit and superfine sugar, blended)

½ oz. fresh lemon juice

2 ½ oz. Champagne, presented in a Sidecar

Lemon peel, for expressing

Orchid, for garnish

Add the first three ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe, express the lemon peel over the glass then discard, and garnish with the orchid. Pour in the Champagne Sidecar.

For the coconut-infused vodka:

Combine vodka to unrefined coconut oil in a 5:1 ratio in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Let steep overnight, then strain through a coffee filter. 

L’Ardente Porn Star Caviar Martini

Recipe courtesy of Micah Wilder, Director of Beverage, Garden Hospitality, Washington, D.C.

L’Ardente Porn Star Caviar Martini

The neon sign over the entrance to the restrooms at L’Ardente, the restaurant group’s elegant Italian restaurant, which implores guests to “Please don’t do coke in the bathroom,” was the inspiration for the drink’s caviar “bump” garnish. “It really conveys the glam lifestyle that we’re showcasing,” Wilder says. “The cocktail is celebratory, fun, playful and decadent.” Limoncello and fresh lemon juice dial up the citrus, and Licor 43 lends spice notes as well as the vanilla undertone.
1 oz. Grey Goose Vodka

½ oz. Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur

1 oz. passion fruit puree

¼ oz. fresh lemon juice

½ oz. limoncello

½ oz.  Licor 43 (read more about Licor 43)

2 oz. Champagne or Crémant in a Sidecar dessert wine glass

½ passion fruit and caviar on a caviar spoon, for garnish

Add the first six ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe, and garnish with the passion fruit half and caviar on a mother of pearl spoon. Serve with the sparkling wine on the side.

You’re Gonna Be a Star

Recipe courtesy of Owen Thomson, Beverage Director, The Square, Washington, D.C.

Thomson’s riff on the Porn Star Martini swaps out vodka for spiced rum, includes Jagermeister and bitters for depth and is topped not with sparkling wine but an Austrian radler, a blend of beer and citrus soda. “It’s a good counter to the Espresso Martini because it’s tart, colorful—all the things the darker sweeter cocktail isn't,” he says.” Everyone is all over the 90s retro (God that hurts to say), so while we spent a lot of years rebelling against the ‘every cocktail is a Martini’ menu, now it's funny to do it again.”

1 oz. Maggie’s Farm Spiced Rum

½ oz. Jagermeister

½ oz. vanilla syrup or liqueur

½ oz. passion fruit syrup or liqueur

Dash Angostura Bitters

3 oz. Stiegl Radler, to top

Add the first five ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into a large chilled coupe glass, and top with the Radler.