The pornstar martini looms large. Twenty years after it was first created in a London townhouse by the late bartender Douglas Ancla, this drink is more than just a drink. modern classicbut The world’s most searched cocktail, has almost twice as much interest as a pina colada. But until recently, it was difficult to find it on cocktail menus in the United States.
Made with vanilla vodka, passion fruit liqueur, passion fruit puree and served with a sidecar of chilled champagne, the Pornstar Martini is a martini in name only. This drink belongs to the class of cocktails better known as ‘Tinis’. Appletini), eagerly dismissed by early 80s bartenders who tried to revive the 19th and early 20th century drinks. One of the first craft cocktail bars to rethink its benefits by putting the pornstar martini on its menu was the short-lived but influential New York City bar headed by Giuseppe Gonzalez in Suffolk, which closed in 2018.・It was Arms.Tini’s Revival — Includes everything from the drink’s iconic v-shaped glass up to more obscure derivatives such as french martini, is back. Porn Star Martini appears on his menu with dozens of cocktails across the country.
Against this background, Punch’s deputy editor-in-chief, Mary Ann Porte, and bartenders Sarah Morrissey (in charge of the upcoming reopening of Le Vau d’Or), Izzie Tulloch (Milady’s) and Natasha Bamdes ( Lama Sun and Lama Ying) and Shannan Lynch joined me. (Grand Army of Brooklyn) concocted the drinks for us to find the best pornstar martinis from recipes submitted by bartenders across the country. The jury was looking for a drink that successfully integrated all the expected flavors and had a rich, velvety texture. It was no easy task. “It’s hard to get it right,” Morrissey said. “Passion fruit is very sour and vanilla is very strong, so it can be difficult to balance.”
Off-target drinks lacked body and the distinctive acidity and tropical notes of fresh passionfruit and were often dismissed on the grounds that they relied solely on liqueurs or were either too sweet or too thin. However, all of the standout products are paired with vanilla in the form of vanilla bean infusions rather than flavored vodka, and are combined with unsweetened passion fruit puree for a rich palate-cleansing texture. I was relying on That’s where the champagne sidecar, dictated by the original recipe, comes into play. In that regard, the jury was looking for the real thing. Morrissey considered dry champagne and blancs de blancs to be “perfect” options. Morrissey coveted the “bready, brioche-like” quality of such wines to soften the inherent luxury of the drink itself. She “should have sensual bubbly on the side,” agreed Tulloch.
outside original recipeIt was a recipe that could stand up to modern scrutiny (although the judges thought it would be better to omit the 0.5 oz passion fruit liqueur, especially the brands Ankra himself requested (Passoan and De Kuiper)). , only two recipes gained support. panel.
winning recipe This work was kindly provided by Brian Evans of Sunday Hospitality in New York, including Sunday in Brooklyn, Lobby Bar at Chelsea Hotel, and Rule of Third. His recipe combines Suntory white vodka with Boiron brand passion fruit puree, Cointreau, lime juice, vanilla bean syrup and, uniquely, the flesh of a fresh passion fruit half. Served with a sidecar of GH Mumm Brut Cordon Rouge Champagne. Tasters found a hint of vanilla, just the right amount of passion fruit, and a well-integrated drink overall. Morrissey said, “I feel like this is enough to drink happily,” while Bamdes said of the group, “We keep going drinking more. It tells you everything you need to know.”
In second place was Kevin Beary of Chicago’s Three Dots and a Dash. Although far from the original, Only Fun’s Martini, the vanilla-flavored cachaça base won the jury’s favor. The vanilla flavor was better than the passion fruit here, but it just enhanced the drink’s indulgent, indulgent quality, making you want to take a sip of a champagne sidecar. It was arguably the most extravagant drink of the group and, according to Tulloch, “a drink of guilt and pleasure.” Despite the departure from the basic spirit, the features felt consistent with the essence of the original. After all, as Morrissey pointed out, “If you’re going to have a drink called a pornstar martini, it has to be sexy.”
