Pornstar Martini Cocktail Recipe
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Try as we might, there's really no better way to introduce such a cocktail than with a few explanations. The elephant in the room, of course, being the name of the cocktail: the raunchy moniker is not as elusive as it sounds, though somehow feels apt for such a bold and playful martini. Apparently, the pornstar martini was created by bartender Douglas Ankrah of the Lab Bar in London after visiting a gentleman's club in Cape Town, South Africa. Not only was it modeled after a drink on the club's menu, but felt, to Ankrah, like something an, ahem, adult entertainer would drink.
Adult film or not, it's pretty easy to like this cocktail. Passionfruit is somewhat similar in flavor to mango, and paired with vanilla is turned into a liquid dessert, so it's pretty easy to see why this cocktail might be loved by film stars and beyond. A true pornstar martini is served with a sidecar of sparkling wine to cleanse the palate between sips — not necessary but a welcome addition and reason more for the evocative name. Our recipe developed with Michelle McGlinn below keeps the iconic sparkling sidecar but omits the added sugar, instead opting for lime juice for a sweet-and-sour version of the martini. Don't worry: It's still plenty sweet, so that prosecco will be warranted.
Gather the ingredients for a pornstar martini cocktail
The ingredients in this one are a little bit harder to find than most cocktails, which is often why you might not find this on a bar's cocktail menu. Not only will you need passion fruit liqueur, but you'll also need passion fruit puree.
You might be able to find puree at the store if you don't want to purchase it online, but we included the instructions for making your own just in case. The ingredients include frozen passion fruit pulp and water. Mix with vodka, lime juice, and passion fruit liqueur to make the martini, then pair with a dry (look for extra dry or brut) prosecco, Champagne, or cava on the side and garnish with a slice of fresh passion fruit.
Blend the passion fruit puree
While many stores may forgo the bottled puree itself, they'll often have frozen passion fruit pulp. It'll be a frozen block of yellow fruit with big black seeds. Simply throw the block in a blender along with the fruit. To avoid a frozen pornstar martini (not that we're against this), thaw the fruit first, then blend with water to make a pourable, liquid version of the fruit. It'll be less dense than a milkshake, but thicker than the liqueur, and may require some stirring if separation occurs.
Shake the cocktail and strain it into a coupe glass
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the liquids, including your passion fruit puree. This recipe doesn't use simple syrup or agave nectar or anything, but if you'd prefer a sweeter martini, add your sweetener here. Cover the shaker and shake well, until the drink is chilled and frothy. To strain, use a fine strainer, which will catch the bits of black seed from the puree and leave you with a perfectly golden drink.
Pour the sidecar
Arguably the best part of a Pornstar Martini is the bonus shot of sparkling wine served with it. Use any shot, shooter, or small glass you have on hand and add about 2 ounces of prosecco to serve alongside the drink. The usage of the sidecar is hotly debated; some prefer it drunk in entirety before the martini, while others prefer it as a chaser with every sip — it's yours to decide.
Serve the pornstar martini
The most traditional topping for a Pornstar Martini is a slice of passion fruit, which not only matches the flavors of the drink but also looks striking on top of the golden liquid. To find fresh passion fruit, look for one that is wrinkly, soft, and heavy. If the passion fruit feels light and hollow, it is likely there isn't any pulp inside, and your garnish will be missing the juicy yellow insides. Since it's a garnish it won't matter all that much either way, but fresh fruit will definitely look better and you can eat it once the drink is through.
To prepare fruit as a garnish, slice it gently in half then gently cut a slice from the side with more pulp to make a garnish. If you aren't having luck with the passion fruit, don't sweat it; just use a lime slice or dehydrated blood orange instead.
The Pornstar Martini pairs well with
Pornstar Martini Cocktail Recipe
Sweet and fruity, the pornstar martini is a cocktail that is as good as the name is provocative.
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen passion fruit pulp, thawed
- ¾ cup water
- ½ ounce lime juice
- 1 ½ ounces vanilla vodka
- ½ ounce passion fruit liqueur
- 1 slice fresh passion fruit, for garnish
- 2 ounces brut or extra-dry prosecco, for serving
Directions
- To make the passion fruit puree, add the thawed passion fruit and water to a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- To make the cocktail, fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the lime juice, 1 ounce of passion fruit puree, vanilla vodka, and passion fruit liqueur.
- Shake until frothy and well-chilled, about 15 seconds.
- Fine strain the mixture into a martini glass to remove any remaining seeds. Top with 1 slice of fresh passion fruit.
- Pour the prosecco into a shot or shooter glass and serve as a sidecar.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 482 |
| Total Fat | 1.9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 74.3 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 26.5 g |
| Total Sugars | 39.2 g |
| Sodium | 83.8 mg |
| Protein | 5.7 g |
What can you use instead of passionfruit puree?
If you don't have passionfruit puree on hand but you're still craving this particular drink, you don't necessarily have to give up right off the bat. It definitely won't taste the same if you're using different ingredients, but you can come close.
Of course, you could swap in just about any other type of fruit puree. Tropical fruits (particularly mango or guava) would be the closest match, but let's face it: If you don't have time to grab passionfruit puree you probably don't have other fruit purees on hand. Which means this substitute may not be as helpful as it first appears. (Still a good idea if you enjoy innovating on classic cocktail recipes.)
Unfortunately, the ease of access for other kinds of substitutes are unlikely to be much easier. You could use something like passionfruit syrup to imitate the flavor but you'd need to find some other ingredient to still give the drink body (chia seeds would do a decent job here). Juice would be an easy option, but again some type of puree is best if you want to adhere closely to the basic template.