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Porn Star Martini

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (498)
Measurements in:
Serves:
1
Ingredients
1 12 fresh Passion fruit (fresh)
2 fl oz Vanilla flavoured vodka
1/2 fl oz Passoã passion fruit liqueur
1/2 fl oz Monin Vanilla Syrup
1/2 fl oz Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
2 fl oz Brut champagne/sparkling wine (optional)

How to make

Glassware

Serve in a Coupe glass

Prepare

  1. Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish by washing 2 passion fruits and cutting each in half.

Method

  1. SCOOP out the seeds and flesh from 3 of the passion fruit halves into your shaker.
  2. Add the next 4 ingredients (all but the sparkling wine).
  3. SHAKE with ice.
  4. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. Float the remaining passion fruit half for garnish.
  2. Optionally, separately POUR the sparkling wine into a chilled shot glass to serve alongside the cocktail.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 6/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 5/10

Health & Nutrition

Alcohol content:

We don't have enough information to calculate the alc./vol., but based on known ingredients, this recipe contains at least:

  • 26.6 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

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History

Adapted from a recipe created in 2002 by Douglas Ankrah at The Townhouse bar in Knightsbridge, London. Douglas also founded London's LAB bar which is perhaps more associated with this cocktail.

This cocktail was originally named the Maverick Martini after a nightclub in Cape Town, South Africa which Douglas frequented, a story he recounts in his 2004 book, Shaken & Stirred.

Maverick Martini or Porn Star Martini
Named after a louche Cape Town nightclub I frequented while writing this book. The shot of Champagne on the side of the beautifully coloured passionfruit and vanilla Martini makes this a very seductive drink. The first time I made these in Townhouse the whole bar was ordering them by the end of the night.

2 Martini glasses, preferably frozen, and tall shot glasses for Champagne on the side.

80ml Cariel Vanilla Vodka
15ml Passoa (passionfruit liqueur)
flesh and seeds of 4 passionfruit
5 teaspoons vanilla sugar
100ml Champagne
1 passionfruit, halved
hard ice cubes

Method:
Shake all the ingredients except the Champagne, the halved passionfruit and 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar in a Boston shaker, and then strain into glasses. Separately, pour out 2 glasses of Champagne and dust the halved passionfruit with the remaining sugar. Dunk the passionfruit in the martini glasses, with spoons: the idea is to fish out the fruit, eat it with the spoon, drink the Champagne and then enjoy the cocktail at leisure.

Douglas Ankrah, Shaken & Stirred, 2004


More Fresh Fruit Martinis

Review

A passion fruit and vanilla crowd-pleaser that's balanced with zesty lime, often served with sparkling wine on the side.

Cocktail of the day:

6th September 2026 is Porn Star Martini Day

Variations/similar cocktails

Gargoyle No. 2 (published 1937)

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Gallery

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Comments & Discussion

Vedant Srinivasan Kartik Srinivasan Premium Member
Rum Variation:

1.75 oz Havana Club 3 Year White Rum
0.25 Shankey’s Whip
0.5 Lime Juice
0.5 Simple Syrup
0.5 oz Passoa
1 Passionfruit (Pulp)
1
David Hoyle Commenter Appreciated Commenter
It's a subjective thing, of course, but two sources of vanilla seems a tad much. I also find the vanilla in the vanilla syrup to be preferable and more prone to integration than the vanilla of the vodka.... so, having experimented, I recommend neutral vodka and vanilla syrup with proportions as listed. This works fantastically for this reviewer.
2
I D Commenter Appreciated Commenter
Hi Simon - the instructions don't currently upscale on the passionfruit for larger portions..
1
Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member Commenter Appreciated Commenter
The measures will scale for multiple servings, but 'how to make' remains for a single serve.
0
Loz Horner Commenter Appreciated Commenter
Just had my first one of these. The first of very many.
2
Gareth Hives Premium Member Commenter Appreciated Commenter
Ha ha welcome to the club Loz! If my wife has her friends round I have to make a lot of these, depending on the time of year and which shops you have locally it’s not always easy to get enough passion fruits.
1
Loz Horner Commenter Appreciated Commenter
Thanks! Luckily my local supermarket normally has passion fruits. May need to put them on standing order.
1
Glenda David
Love this cocktail! I feel the brute champagne sipped after a sip of the sweet cocktail works well. Sip & sip alternating the whole of the drinks - the taste buds love it!!
3
Henry Tran Commenter Appreciated Commenter
This recipe also works well for me. Though I might need to tweak this recipe better

30 ml Vodka
37.5 ml salted caramel / butterscotch liqueur
15 ml Passoã passion fruit liqueur
15 ml Lime juice
1.5 passion fruit
5
Seppo Mikkonen Premium Member Appreciated Commenter
perfect cocktail, to be included in my top 5 list
2
Fredie Martineau Commenter Appreciated Commenter
Often in restaurants and bars, the porn star martini has a fairly thick foam and is velvety to drink. having tried the above recipe i dont get this much foam. I have been using Giffard passion fruit liqueur instead of Passoa. Is that the reason? Can anyone advise on how to make the foam (without using eggs)?
1
Ben Kooi
Hi Fredie,
If you don't want to use an egg, you can try aquafaba.
Hope it works for you. Succes!
2
Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member Commenter Appreciated Commenter
I recommend Vegg White, a vegan egg white replacement.
1
James Dean
Pineapple Juice
2
Henry Tran Commenter Appreciated Commenter
I don't have vanilla syrup on hand, so I replaced it with vanilla liqueur. Brix and alcohol content are a just a bit higher. Taste quite good!

37.5 ml Vodka
15 ml Passoã passion fruit liqueur
37.5 ml Licor 43
15 ml Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
3
Simon Sedgley Premium Member Commenter Appreciated Commenter
Well, we suppose that if you are satisfied with choreographed and tightly scripted passion, then you might find it watching a porn star. In this cocktail, which also strikes us as a bit of a fake, all we can taste is passion fruit...and the barest hint of vanilla and lime. Our advice is that, if you must seriously entertain this drink, simply pour it over a generous serve of vanilla ice cream and add a few slices of banana. Much better.
0

Showing the first 10 of 36 comments.