Porn Star Martini Commonly Used Ingredients & Recipe

Few cocktails have hijacked bar menus the way the Pornstar Martini has. It packs vanilla vodka, passion fruit, and a tangy lime kick into one coupe glass, then hands you a shot of prosecco on the side like a dare.

Base Spirit: Vanilla Vodka · Key Fruit: Passion Fruit · Liqueur: Passoã · Side Serve: Prosecco · Acid: Lime Juice

Five core ingredients show up across every credible recipe: vanilla vodka, a passion fruit element, Passoã liqueur, lime juice, and a sweetener — with prosecco served separately.

What goes in a Pornstar Martini?

The drink breaks down into five ingredient categories. Each one matters, and swapping one changes the final taste noticeably.

Vanilla vodka

The base spirit is almost always vanilla-infused vodka. The original 2003 recipe called for 1.5 oz / 45ml Absolut Vanilla. BBC Good Food pushes to 60ml vodka, which is a stronger pour. Kitchen Swagger uses 2 oz vanilla vodka. The range across sources sits between 45ml and 60ml. Brands mentioned include Absolut Vanilla, Stoli Vanilla, and Suntory Haku.

Passion fruit elements

This is where recipes split. BBC Good Food uses 2 whole ripe passion fruits — you halve them and scoop the seeds straight into the shaker. Delish calls for 1 oz passion fruit purée instead. The original Ankrah recipe used 2 oz passion fruit puree. Fresh juice gives a brighter, more acidic result; puree gives a richer, more consistent texture.

Lime juice and syrup

Fresh lime juice provides the acid that cuts through the sweetness. Most recipes use 12–25ml lime juice. The sweetener is either simple syrup (50-50 sugar and water) or vanilla syrup. BBC Good Food’s sugar syrup is made by boiling equal parts sugar and water for 5 minutes. Supergolden Bakes recommends tasting and adjusting: more lime if too sweet, more syrup if too sour.

Passoã liqueur

Passoã is a passion fruit liqueur from France that defines the drink’s tropical backbone. The official Passoa site confirms Douglas Ankrah built the original recipe around it. BBC Good Food calls for 30ml Passoã. Delish uses 1 oz Passoã. The range across recipes is 15ml to 50ml depending on how strong you want that passion fruit punch.

Prosecco sidecar

The signature move: a chilled shot of prosecco served beside the cocktail, not mixed in. BBC Good Food specifies prosecco to serve alongside. The amount is typically 1–2 oz prosecco or Champagne in a separate small glass. The original used Champagne; modern versions have shifted to prosecco for cost and availability.

Why is it called a Pornstar Martini?

The name is provocative on purpose, and it has a specific backstory.

Origin story

Douglas Ankrah created the drink at The Townhouse London in 2003. The YouTube video documenting “THE ORIGINAL PORNSTAR MARTINI” shows Ankrah’s original specs. The Passoa brand officially states Ankrah built it “using Passoã passion fruit liqueur in his original recipe.” The name was designed to be memorable and slightly edgy — it worked.

Naming convention

Despite the name, it’s not a true martini. A martini traditionally uses gin or vodka with vermouth. The Pornstar Martini has no vermouth — it’s closer to a shaken sour with tropical modifiers. The name stuck because it’s provocative and Instagram-friendly. Some bars call it a Passionfruit Martini as a milder alternative.

What are the ingredients used in a martini?

To understand why Pornstar Martini is its own thing, it helps to know what a classic martini actually contains.

Classic vs flavored

A classic martini is gin or vodka with a measured amount of vermouth. The spirit-to-vermouth ratio varies by preference (wet vs dry), but vermouth is the defining ingredient. Delish notes that some recipes use passion fruit liqueur instead of puree for intensity — a flavor-first approach that departs from the spirit-forward martini tradition.

Pornstar differences

The Pornstar Martini skips vermouth entirely. It substitutes Passoã passion fruit liqueur for the herbal component, adds fresh passion fruit for texture, and adds lime and syrup for balance. The result is a tropical sour rather than a spirit-forward cocktail.

Pornstar Martini recipe ml

For home bartenders who want precise quantities, here’s what the major recipe sources specify in milliliters.

Standard measurements

BBC Good Food (tier1 authority for recipe content) lists: 60ml vodka, 30ml Passoa, 1 tbsp lime juice (≈15ml), 1 tbsp sugar syrup (≈15ml), and prosecco on the side. Splash of Taste uses a more generous pour: 50ml Passoa, 50ml vodka, 25ml lime juice, 50ml passion fruit puree. A mid-range consensus for one drink: 50–60ml vanilla vodka, 15–30ml Passoã, 15–25ml lime juice, 15ml syrup, prosecco sidecar.

Scaling for batches

For a party batch, multiply each ingredient by the number of servings and shake in batches. Kitchen Swagger recommends double straining after shaking 15–30 seconds over ice to remove pulp for a smooth texture. Chill coupe glasses beforehand — Amy Treasure recommends storing them in the freezer.

Easy Pornstar Martini recipe variations

Once you know the core template, variations are easy to spot and adapt.

With vanilla vodka

The most common version uses vanilla vodka as the base. A YouTube recipe video uses 50ml vanilla vodka, 50ml Passoa, 12ml vanilla essence, passion fruit pulp, and 50ml prosecco. The vanilla essence adds extra aromatic depth beyond what vanilla vodka alone provides.

BBC simple version

BBC Good Food’s approach is the most approachable for beginners: halve 2 ripe passion fruits, scoop the seeds into a shaker, add 60ml vodka, 30ml Passoa, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp sugar syrup, shake 15–30 seconds, double strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with a passion fruit half, serve with a glass of chilled prosecco on the side.

Prosecco shot

The prosecco sidecar is non-negotiable for the full experience. Kitchen Swagger notes the prosecco should be chilled and served separately, not mixed into the shaker. The traditional ratio is 1–2 oz sparkling wine alongside an 8–10 oz cocktail.

How to make a Pornstar Martini

The steps are straightforward if you have the right equipment. Here’s what reliable sources agree on.

1. Chill your glassware. Put coupe glasses in the freezer for at least 10 minutes, or fill them with ice water while you prep.
2. Prep the passion fruit. Cut 2 ripe passion fruits in half. The skin should look crinkly — that’s the sign of ripeness. Scoop all the seeds and pulp into a cocktail shaker.
3. Add the spirits and modifiers. Pour 60ml vanilla vodka, 30ml Passoã, 15ml fresh lime juice, and 15ml sugar syrup into the shaker.
4. Shake hard. Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 15–30 seconds. You want proper dilution and a well-chilled result.
5. Double strain. Use a fine mesh strainer over the Hawthorne strainer to remove passion fruit seeds and pulp. This gives a cleaner cocktail.
6. Garnish and serve. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Float half a passion fruit on top as a garnish. Serve with a chilled glass of prosecco on the side.

The Pornstar Martini cocktail was created by Douglas Ankrah in London in the early 2000s, using Passoã passion fruit liqueur in his original recipe.

— Passoa Official

THE ORIGINAL PORNSTAR MARTINI — Douglas Ankrah, The Townhouse London, 2003.

— YouTube Cocktail Historian

Few cocktails make an entrance like the Pornstar Martini. Created in London in the early 2000s, it remains one of the most ordered cocktails globally.

— Elevated Craft

The Pornstar Martini works because it hits three notes at once: sweet from the passion fruit and syrup, tart from the lime, and strong from the vanilla vodka and Passoã. For home bartenders who want to nail it, the BBC Good Food recipe is the most reliable starting point — the quantities are conservative enough to balance well, and the prosecco sidecar gives you room to adjust sweetness on the fly. The key variable is the passion fruit: fresh gives brightness, puree gives consistency. Either way, double-strain and serve the prosecco separately — those two details separate a decent version from a great one.

Related reading: chicken noodle soup recipe

While vanilla vodka and passion fruit form the base, the creator’s proper order guide insists on sipping the prosecco shot separately for optimal enjoyment.

Frequently asked questions