Martini tops the list

Of all the recipes available on the Internet this year, South Africa’s top trending recipe search is for a Pornstar Martini, according to the recently released Google Top Trending Searches 2019 list.

What does the list show us? We are a nation of cocktail lovers, especially ones that come with a South African connection. We like old-fashioned comfort food, with favourites like stews, spaghetti bolognese, chicken a la king and lasagne ranked high on the list.

And just when we thought vegetarianism and veganism was the trend sweeping the world, the only vegetarian recipe that just makes the list, sneaking in at number 10, is hummus, the delicious dip made with chickpeas and tahini.

PORNSTAR MARTINI

The cocktail was developed in an English bar in 1999 by Douglas Ankrah, who’s well known on the London bar scene.

Originally he called it the Maverick cocktail after the Cape Town gentlemen’s club of the same name. In an interview Ankrah said there was nothing sexual about the name of the cocktail. ”Rather, it’s because the drink is evocative and tantalising,” he said.

Makes 2

2 passion fruit, halved

60ml (4 tbsp) vanilla vodka

30ml (2 tbsp) passion fruit liqueur

15ml (1 tbsp) lime juice

15ml (1 tbsp) sugar syrup (dissolve 125ml (½ cup) in the same amount of water and stir to dissolve over a low heat, keep the extra for another cocktail) Prosecco/sparking wine or Champagne

Scoop the seeds from one of the passion fruit into the glass of a cocktail shaker, add the vodka, liqueur, lime juice and sugar syrup. Add a handful of ice and shake well, strain into 2 martini glasses, top up with Prosecco, then add half a passion fruit to each. Serve immediately with a shooter of Prosecco, sparkling wine or Champagne.

THE LIST:

1. Pornstar Martini 2. Pickled fish 3. Lasagne

4. Chicken stew 5. Spaghetti bolognese 6. Chicken a la king 7. Beef stew

8. Hot cross buns 9. Chicken pie

10. Hummus