Pornstar Martini

Douglas Ankrah, LAB Bar, London, 2002. Ankrah (who later founded the Townhouse bar group) created the drink with the provocative name to generate conversation and attention. The drink's success at LAB was immediate and spread through London's bar scene. Ankrah has been clear that the name was about the quality of the experience, not its content.

The Pornstar Martini is the UK's most ordered cocktail — vanilla vodka, Passoa (passion fruit liqueur), fresh passion fruit, vanilla syrup, and lime juice, served with a shot of Prosecco on the side for either mixing in or drinking separately. Created by Douglas Ankrah at LAB Bar in London in 2002, its name was intended to evoke the idea of something so good it was worthy of a star's attention — and it has delivered: the drink has consistently topped UK and global cocktail sales charts for over a decade. It is a serious cocktail beneath its provocative name: the passion fruit's tartness, the vanilla's warmth, and the Prosecco's effervescence create a three-stage drinking experience that is technically considered.

FOOD PAIRING: The Pornstar Martini's tropical-vanilla-citrus sweetness pairs with light desserts, tropical fruit, and fresh seafood. Provenance 1000 pairings: passion fruit pavlova (direct mirror), mango and lime cheesecake, vanilla panna cotta with passion fruit coulis, coconut sorbet with tropical fruit, and grilled lobster with vanilla butter.