New data from a Derbyshire bar has revealed that the Pornstar Martini remains its most popular cocktail - despite almost half of its biggest-selling drinks having origins dating back more than 75 years.
An analysis of thousands of cocktails sold over the past 12 months at Barça Bar in Chesterfield has revealed a fascinating mix of old and new among customers’ favourite drinks.
The Pornstar Martini topped the list, ahead of the Aperol Spritz and Espresso Martini, with the Mojito and Old Fashioned completing the top five.
And while the Pornstar Martini is a relative newcomer to cocktail culture - created in London in the early 2000s - many of the drinks it is competing with have survived generations of changing tastes.
Almost half of the 11 cocktails represented in Barça’s biggest-selling list have origins dating back to before 1950, including the Old Fashioned, Mojito, Margarita, Negroni and French 75.
Together, the top 11 accounted for 75% of the almost 14,000 cocktails sold at the bar during the 12-month period.
Barça’s most popular cocktails
1. Pornstar Martini
2. Aperol Spritz
3. Espresso Martini
4. Mojito
5. Old Fashioned
6. Amaretto Sour
7. Piña Colada
8. Margarita
9. Negroni
10. French 75
11. Long Island Iced Tea
The results suggest that while cocktail drinking continues to evolve, customers remain remarkably loyal to drinks that have stood the test of time.
The Old Fashioned can trace its roots back to the 19th century, while the Negroni and French 75 emerged in the early decades of the 20th century. Other enduring favourites followed during the decades that followed, before drinks including the Espresso Martini arrived in the later 20th century.
But it is the Pornstar Martini, created by bartender Douglas Ankrah in London in the early 2000s, that has raced past all of them to become Barça’s biggest seller.
Steve Perez, owner of Barça and founder and chairman of drinks company Global Brands, said the results demonstrate how the best cocktails can transcend the era in which they were created.
He said: “The Pornstar Martini is a fascinating example of how quickly a new drink can become a classic. When you look at this list, you’ve got cocktails whose histories stretch back generations sitting alongside something created only around 25 years ago - and it’s the newcomer that’s sitting at number one.
“I’ve worked in the drinks industry for most of my career and fashions inevitably come and go, but the best drinks have a habit of sticking around. The Old Fashioned, Negroni and French 75 have all survived decades of changing tastes, while newer drinks such as the Espresso Martini and Pornstar Martini have become firmly established remarkably quickly.
“It will be fascinating to see whether we’re still ordering Pornstar Martinis in another 50 or even 100 years.”
The figures from Barça come as the wider UK cocktail market continues to evolve, with recent industry data suggesting the Aperol Spritz has now overtaken the Pornstar Martini nationally.
Research published by NIQ found that the Aperol Spritz accounted for 13.6% of cocktail value sales in Great Britain during the third quarter of 2025, moving ahead of the Pornstar Martini.
In Derbyshire, however, the Pornstar is refusing to surrender its crown.
Emily Pickering, Bar Manager at Barça, said customers increasingly move between established favourites and newer serves rather than sticking to cocktails from one particular era.
She said: “People definitely have their favourites and the Pornstar Martini is one of those drinks we see being ordered again and again. It’s fun, it feels like a treat and people know exactly what they’re going to get - so I’m not surprised to see it at number one.
“What I love about the list, though, is the variety. In one evening we can be making Pornstar and Espresso Martinis alongside Old Fashioneds, Mojitos and Negronis. These are drinks created at completely different points in cocktail history, but there’s still a real appetite for all of them.
“People are interested in trying new things, but the classics aren't going anywhere. There’s something quite special about making a drink that bartenders have been making for generations and seeing it still being enjoyed today.”
Barça forms part of the independently owned 4-star Casa Hotel and is a social hub for both hotel guests and local customers, with cocktails at the heart of its drinks offering.
The bar also hosts live music on Friday and Saturday evenings and has become a popular destination for locals as well as guests staying at the hotel.
