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Douglas Ankrah, the inventor of the Pornstar Martini and co-founder of groundbreaking London bar Lab, has died.
Ankrah’s household introduced his passing in a Fb publish yesterday (16 August): “The Legendary Douglas Ankrah of #PornstarMartini fame isn’t any extra. A mighty oak has certainly fallen.”
The Ghanaian-born bar entrepreneur was a key determine in London’s cocktail group. In 1999, he co-founded the Soho-based London Academy of Bartending (Lab), a venue that rapidly turned an trade hub and a coaching floor for main bartenders; veterans embrace Altos Tequila co-creator Dre Masso, Bombay Sapphire ambassador Andrea Montague and Manly Spirits distiller Tim Stones, amongst many others.
Constructing on the momentum of Lab, Ankrah went on to open Townhouse in Knightsbridge in 2002, which closed eight years later.
On the latter bar, Ankrah developed the cocktail that turned his legacy. The Pornstar Martini is a mixture of vanilla vodka, contemporary passionfruit, passionfruit liqueur, vanilla syrup and lime juice, plus a shot of Champagne on the aspect. The flashy, enjoyable serve now options on drinks lists internationally, sitting alongside fashionable classics such because the Paper Aircraft and the Espresso Martini. It’s among the many hottest cocktails within the UK.
Lab served its final drink in 2016 and have become the positioning of award-winning bar Swift, however Ankrah remained an essential affect on this planet of cocktails. He debuted a ready-to-drink version of the Pornstar Martini in 2017, and continued to champion the function he labored as a advisor.
The Fb publish from Ankrah’s household concluded: “We are going to let you realize when now we have additional particulars. Thanks for all of your ideas and prayers.”