How Pornstar Martini got its name: The story behind the man who created this popular cocktail

If you're a frequent bargoer, then you must have definitely seen 'Pornstar Martini' cocktail on the menu. A popular drink, it is an irresistible fruit-flavoured cocktail that is made with vanilla-flavoured vodka, passion fruit purée, Passoã and vanilla sugar, among other ingredients.

The man behind the creation of this drink..

Mixologist Douglas Ankrah is the man who created this iconic drink and there's an interesting story behind how he came up with the idea of this cocktail and its name. Ankrah had this moment of epiphany when he was sitting in Maverick, a bar in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1999, and working on his then-upcoming book 'Shaken: Douglas Ankrah's Cocktails'. This is when the idea occurred to him that what if he combined three of the most popular flavours of the time and they were Prosecco, vodka and passion fruit into a single drink?

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Initial name of the drink...

Since the idea of the drink occurred to Ankrah at the Maverick bar, he thought of naming the drink as 'Maverick Martini'. In fact, he sold the drink under this name at the LAB Bar, but it didn't see commercial success until 2002, when Ankrah sold the drink at a new venue, the Townhouse in Knightsbridge.

Why did Ankrah named the drink as 'Pornstar Martini'

This is when it occurred to Ankrah that the drink's name lacked something. In one of his interviews, he mentioned that the name of the drink didn't quite capture the spirit of the drink. This is when he came up with the idea of naming the cocktail as 'Pornstar Martini'. Ankrah shared in his interview with The Buyer that he chose the name of the cocktail thinking that the concoction was something that a pornstar would drink. And of course, he also thought the name was interesting enough to pique the curiosity of people.

The drink rose to popularity...

Interestingly, the drink became popular in the beginning, because of its name. Even today, a lot of people feel tempted to try this drink, thanks to its name. The Pornstar Martini soon became UK's favourite cocktail.

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How the drink is served...

What was also interesting about the drink is how it is served. It is served in a shot glass and along with it is a separate shot of champagne. This dual serving style is what people like about this drink.