The Pornstar Martini Recipe Worth Making Properly

Edited by Aj

The Pornstar Martini was created in London in 2002 by bartender Douglas Ankrah, first at his Townhouse bar in Knightsbridge, and it made its name at LAB, his bar in Soho. By 2018, UK bar sales data had it as the country’s most popular cocktail, ahead of the Mojito. That’s a striking achievement for a drink that gets dismissed as a gimmick almost as often as it gets ordered.

The dismissal is understandable but misplaced. Yes, it has a bold name and a garnish that doubles as a talking point. But underneath that, it’s a well-constructed cocktail built on genuine flavour logic: sweet tropical fruit, vanilla warmth, citrus sharpness, and a side of bubbles that cuts through everything. Spring in New Zealand is exactly when you want it, the passion fruit vines are fruiting, the weather is warming, and you suddenly want something bright in a glass. This is that drink.

Why Vanilla and Passion Fruit Are a Better Match Than You’d Expect

The backbone of a Pornstar Martini is vanilla vodka, and it does more work than it looks like. Vanilla softens the sharpness of the citrus and creates a creamy mid-palate that keeps the drink feeling lush rather than tart. Passion fruit brings tropical punch with its own natural acidity, and passion fruit liqueur (most commonly Passoa, a Dutch liqueur made from passion fruit from Brazil) amplifies that and adds a little sweetness without going cloying. Fresh lime juice keeps the whole thing honest. Then there’s the Prosecco on the side.

That separate shot of Prosecco isn’t a gimmick. It’s a palate reset. You sip the cocktail, then chase it with a mouthful of dry, lightly sparkling wine, and the contrast is genuinely refreshing. It changes the drink’s register between sips. Without it, you’d have a good cocktail. With it, you have a better experience.

What You Need

• 50ml vanilla vodka (Absolut Vanilia and Grey Goose La Vanille both work well; if you’re in New Zealand, Broken Heart Spirits from Queenstown makes a clean vodka base you could infuse yourself)
• 15ml Passoa passion fruit liqueur
• 15ml fresh lime juice (about half a lime)
• 10ml vanilla syrup (or plain sugar syrup if you want less vanilla forward)
• Half a fresh passion fruit (for shaking and garnishing)
• One small shot (around 60ml) of Prosecco, served separately
• Ice for shaking

How to Make It

1. Chill your coupe or martini glass in the freezer for at least five minutes before you start.
2. Scoop the flesh from half a passion fruit into your cocktail shaker. Add the vanilla vodka, Passoa, fresh lime juice, and vanilla syrup.
3. Fill the shaker with ice. Seal it and shake hard for a full twelve seconds. You want this properly cold and slightly diluted.
4. Double-strain into your chilled glass. Use a fine mesh strainer to catch the passion fruit seeds, which would otherwise clog the strainer in the shaker lid. Seeds in the glass look messy; seeds out makes it clean.
5. Garnish with the remaining passion fruit half, flesh side up, floated on top of the drink.
6. Pour the Prosecco into a small shot glass or separate flute and serve it alongside.

Three Things That Actually Improve the Result

Use fresh passion fruit, not bottled pulp. The flavour difference is significant. Bottled passion fruit pulp tends to be sweeter and more one-dimensional. Fresh fruit gives you the floral sharpness that makes the drink feel alive. In spring, NZ passion fruit should be available at most produce markets and many supermarkets.

Don’t skip the double strain. It takes ten extra seconds and it’s the difference between a professional-looking drink and one that looks like you rushed it. A fine strainer catches the seed fragments and any ice shards.

Try it with a drier sparkling wine. Prosecco is the classic pairing, but a New Zealand Méthode Traditionnelle from Marlborough or Hawke’s Bay works beautifully. Something with green apple and biscuit character that contrasts the tropical sweetness. Check out what’s available in our wine coverage for ideas on local sparkling options.

Make It Zero-Proof

A non-alcoholic version is straightforward and genuinely enjoyable. Replace the vanilla vodka with Lyre’s American Malt or Seedlip Spice 94, both of which bring warmth and body without alcohol. Swap the Passoa for a dash of passion fruit syrup and a little extra fresh juice. Use sparkling water or a good non-alcoholic sparkling wine in place of the Prosecco shot. You’ll lose a little of the boozy depth, but the tropical fruit flavour holds up well. Find more ideas in our low and no section.

What to Eat Alongside It

The Pornstar Martini’s tropical sweetness and citrus acidity pair well with food that has some richness to cut through. Prawn cocktail is the obvious British answer, and it still works. But in a New Zealand spring context, think freshly shucked Bluff or Coromandel oysters with a squeeze of lemon, or a plate of good sashimi with pickled ginger. The cocktail’s acidity mirrors the brightness in these dishes without fighting them. Avoid anything heavily spiced or bitter, it will clash with the vanilla and leave both the food and the drink tasting flat. For more food and drink pairing ideas, we cover this territory regularly at Spiritly.

Frequently Asked Questions