Virgin Passion Fruit Martini
The Virgin Passion Fruit Martini is two fresh passion fruits, 50ml passion fruit juice, 25ml vanilla syrup and 15ml fresh lime juice, shaken hard for 10 to 12 seconds and strained into a chilled coupe, seeds and all. Half a passion fruit floats on the foam, and a small glass of chilled sparkling apple juice goes alongside. It contains no alcohol. It is the alcohol-free version of the Pornstar Martini, which Douglas Ankrah created at the Townhouse bar in Knightsbridge in 2002 with vanilla vodka, passion fruit and a shot of Champagne on the side. The vodka there carries strength rather than flavour, so taking it out costs less than it would in most cocktails. Fresh fruit is what makes it work. The pulp brings perfume, texture and seeds that juice alone cannot, the vanilla syrup gives the body the spirit would have, and the lime keeps the sweetness in check.
Glassware: Coupe Glass
Garnish: Half a passion fruit floated cut side up on the foam
Ingredients
2 fruits
Pulp, seeds and all, scooped straight into the shaker, plus half of a third fruit for the garnish. It carries the perfume that bottled juice lacks.
50ml
Bottled is fine; it brings volume and colour behind the fresh pulp. Pick one that is mostly passion fruit rather than a blend led by apple or grape, and unsweetened if you can, since the syrup adds plenty.
25ml
Sugar, water and vanilla, giving the body the vodka would have. Most contain no alcohol, but some vanilla flavourings are made with it, so check the label for anyone who avoids alcohol strictly.
Instructions
Chill a coupe.
Halve two passion fruits and scoop the pulp and seeds into a shaker.
Add the passion fruit juice, vanilla syrup and lime juice.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds, until the tin frosts.
Strain into the chilled coupe, letting the seeds through.
Float half a passion fruit, cut side up, on the foam.
Serve with a small glass of chilled sparkling apple juice on the side.
Expert Tip
Do not go easy on the shake. With no alcohol in the tin, the foam does the work of the missing spirit, and it only forms properly when the drink is very cold. Shake for 10 to 12 seconds, until the tin frosts on the outside. Pick the fruit by its skin. Smooth, taut passion fruit is under-ripe and sour; dimpled, slightly wrinkled skin means the sugars have developed. Two go into the shaker and half of a third sits on the foam. Strain once, not twice. The seeds belong in the glass: they give the drink its texture and its look, and a fine strainer would catch them.
Behind the Virgin Passion Fruit Martini
Flavour Profile
What the Vodka Was Doing
In the Pornstar Martini the vodka supplies strength, not flavour. The character comes from passion fruit and vanilla, and both stay. What has to be replaced is body, and the vanilla syrup and fresh pulp provide it.
The result pours with the same colour and the same white foam. It sits between juice and dessert: sharp first, rounded by the vanilla, clean at the end from the lime.
The Pornstar Martini and its alcohol-free version
Spirit
- Pornstar Martini
- 50ml vanilla vodka, 20ml passion fruit liqueur
- Virgin Passion Fruit Martini
- None
Passion fruit
- Pornstar Martini
- 50ml purée, half a fresh fruit on top
- Virgin Passion Fruit Martini
- Two fresh fruits, 50ml juice, half a fruit on top
Vanilla
- Pornstar Martini
- 10ml vanilla sugar syrup
- Virgin Passion Fruit Martini
- 25ml vanilla syrup
On the side
- Pornstar Martini
- 50ml Champagne
- Virgin Passion Fruit Martini
- Sparkling apple juice
Alcohol
- Pornstar Martini
- Yes
- Virgin Passion Fruit Martini
- None
| Element | Pornstar Martini | Virgin Passion Fruit Martini |
|---|---|---|
| Spirit | 50ml vanilla vodka, 20ml passion fruit liqueur | None |
| Passion fruit | 50ml purée, half a fresh fruit on top | Two fresh fruits, 50ml juice, half a fruit on top |
| Vanilla | 10ml vanilla sugar syrup | 25ml vanilla syrup |
| On the side | 50ml Champagne | Sparkling apple juice |
| Alcohol | Yes | None |
The Fruit
The fresh pulp carries the perfume and the seeds; the bottled juice adds volume and colour. Purée works in place of the pulp, about 50ml for the two fruits, at the cost of some texture.
The Shake
Foam is built by cold, agitation and the pectin in the fruit. A lazy shake gives a flat, juice-like pour; a hard one gives a tight white cap that holds the passion fruit half on the surface.
The Side Glass
The Pornstar Martini comes with a shot of Champagne on the side, and that ritual stays. Here it is a small glass of chilled sparkling apple juice, dry if you can find it, or sparkling white grape juice. Alternate sips: the rich coupe, then the sharp fizz.
How to Serve It
Anywhere the original would be poured, especially when one person at the table is not drinking. The coupe, foam, floated fruit and side glass look the same as the Pornstar Martini, so nobody needs to announce the difference.
More to explore
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Virgin Passion Fruit Martini contain alcohol?
How is it different from a Pornstar Martini?
Can I use passion fruit purée instead of fresh fruit?
Which passion fruit juice should I buy?
Why shake a drink with no alcohol in it?
What can I serve instead of sparkling apple juice?
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Pornstar Martini
A Pornstar Martini is 50ml vanilla vodka, 20ml passion fruit liqueur, 50ml passion fruit purée and 10ml vanilla syrup, shaken, double strained and served in a chilled martini glass with half a passion fruit floating on top. A 50ml shot of chilled Champagne is served alongside. About 2.2 UK units in the glass and 2.8 with the Champagne. Douglas Ankrah created it at his Townhouse bar in London in 2002. He said a visit to Mavericks, a club in Cape Town, inspired it, and that the name came from what he imagined a porn star would drink. It was reported to be the most ordered cocktail in the UK in November 2018. Passion fruit does the work. The purée gives sharpness and body, the liqueur sweetness and perfume, and the vanilla rounds both. The Champagne is a separate drink, sipped alongside or after.
Virgin Colada
A Virgin Colada is 120ml of fresh pineapple juice, 45ml of cream of coconut and 15ml of fresh lime juice, blended with a cup of crushed ice for 10 to 15 seconds and poured into a hurricane glass, with a pineapple wedge and a cherry. It is alcohol-free. It is the Piña Colada without its 50ml of white rum. The Caribe Hilton in San Juan credits that drink to its bartender Ramón “Monchito” Marrero in 1954, though rival claims exist; since 1978 it has been Puerto Rico’s official drink. Taking the rum out removes dryness as well as alcohol. So the pineapple goes up to fill the glass and the lime moves from a few optional drops to 15ml, to stop the drink tasting only sweet. Cream of coconut, the sweetened kind sold in tins, still decides it.
Where this one sits
Recipe by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 12 October 2026