Porn star martini Pizza Express

[Flour8977]

Why are Pizza Express advertising 'Porn Star Martinis' on every table at their restaurants? AIBU to find this disgusting for a family restaurant? I don't really wish to explain to my 6 year old what it is.

I cringe at the named ' sex on the beach ' cocktail too ! That one is too much of a 70s throwback for my liking and I can imagine grown men smirking when they order it :(
Cocktails have always had a bit of a seedy side to them.

@Fupoffyagrasshole

What’s a pornstar Martini mum?

A drink love

End of conversation 😂😂😂

Exactly. Or "Ask your Dad"

Using porn star in day to day language, especially in front of children legitimises the sex industry as normal and ok, and it's absolutely not.

Hear hear. It's part of the culture of misogyny.

@pinkprettyroses

It's really not that dramatic. There's probably songs with worse context played on the radio in the car on the way there.

Why do you think that? If the OP doesn't like that kind of language she would just turn it off

I don't want to hear my 18year old ask for a Pornstar Martini in front of her younger siblings or other patrons such as Princeton Andrew.
Link to the history of the Negroni, spoiler: Pizza Express is not on the list of go to destinations.

www.cntraveler.com/stories/2015-08-24/how-the-negroni-became-todays-it-cocktail

@Whatalovelydaffodil she could also just take the piece of card advertising the drink off her table.

Bit odd but I don't think that any child is going to ask you what a porn star martini is any more than they would ask about any alcoholic drink. Children aren't usually interested in reading the cocktail menu. If by some miniscule chance they did ask you don't have to launch into a big explanation about porn. You would just say it's just a silly name. No huge deal.

Sorry that should read Andrew, formally known as Prince

There are a number of people on here who probably don’t have children, or can’t remember what it’s like to have younger children.

“A drink” would not be enough for my under 10s. They want to know what words mean - that’s how they increase their vocabulary. If they read or hear a new word they ask what it means.

They wouldn’t go reading the drinks menu but they would notice an advertisement in the centre of the table!

It does seem a bit odd that such a family orientated establishment would have lots of advertising about it but by the same token I don't know if I would have passed much remarks on it myself. It's the name of a drink, kids encounter or overhear words and phrases adults may consider inappropriae from time to time. It is part and parcel of living in the world and what matters is how we as adults go about explaining it to kids that counts.

Depending on the age of the kid its a simple enough matter to fob them off about it being a stupid american name for a drink, or if they are a bit older to tell them its an adult drink named after people who work in adult TV which is television they are in bed too early to see. If they 11 or older they already know what a porn star is fro giggling classmates, the internet or some other avenue and thinking otherwise is naive in the digital age unfortunately. A nice segue into a conversation about it being named after an industry which (mostly) glamorises the exploitation of people and creates unrealistic ideas about sex and sexuality.

I thought this was going to be a PA thread 😂

@Fupoffyagrasshole

What’s a pornstar Martini mum?

A drink love

End of conversation 😂😂😂

God, your kids give up awfully easily. Mine are a hell of a lot more inquisitive.

(And elder has already heard of martinis, so was very fixed on the pornstar element....)

Pizza Express didnt invent that drink. Someone else did and that's the name of it. That is what theyll call it in their menu so people recognise it.

@Clockstooforward

I thought this was going to be a PA thread 😂

😆 I think he frequents Dominos now instead

Oh please get a grip.

@girlmom21

Unless your child has heard the term 'porn star' separately to seeing the advertisement they wouldn't question it.

Do you want it taken off the menu too?

Are they allowed to serve spotted dick?

I’ve got no problem telling my child that a spotted dick = a penis with spots on, he’d find that hilarious.

I do have a problem with having to tell my child that porn stars exist. And before you tell me to make something up, I never lie to my child.

Very bad marketing in a family restaurant. If your target market is mums and most mumsnetters are repelled by it, then it’s time to change the advert.

I’ve got no problem telling my child that a spotted dick = a penis with spots on, he’d find that hilarious.

It's not though. That's not what spotted dick is.

It's the same thing with the porn star martini.
Asking what a porn star martini is (a drink) is not the same as asking what porn is or what a porn star is.

@BeforeGodAndAllTheFish

Pizza Express didnt invent that drink. Someone else did and that's the name of it. That is what theyll call it in their menu so people recognise it.

Well yes, but lots of other places call it pop star or passion fruit martini.

@Bbq1

Bit odd but I don't think that any child is going to ask you what a porn star martini is any more than they would ask about any alcoholic drink. Children aren't usually interested in reading the cocktail menu. If by some miniscule chance they did ask you don't have to launch into a big explanation about porn. You would just say it's just a silly name. No huge deal.

Tbh, I wouldn't really mind if they were just on the drinks menu.

It's the tabletop promotion on every single table. Hard to miss.

(And for older kids, I don't love the mixed messages - porn is bad and damaging, but also acceptable and a bit glamourised by your favourite restaurant chain.)

I mean, I was dancing to sex on the beach from my NOW 41! Album at the age of seven so I don’t see the difference really. However I did have a child out of wedlock at 26 (god forbid) so perhaps it did do lasting damage 🤣😉

It's my favourite cocktail, what do you suggest they call it? I guess they have a promotion on them. It will go over little kids heads and by the time you have a sniggering teen just say "what is funny?" And smile. Don't take things so seriously. I like sex on the beach too

@Flowerpower23

I mean, I was dancing to sex on the beach from my NOW 41! Album at the age of seven so I don’t see the difference really. However I did have a child out of wedlock at 26 (god forbid) so perhaps it did do lasting damage 🤣😉

Ha I'm 26 and I have 2 out of wedlock. Explains a lot...

@gohom

It’s my favourite too but I think it’s fairly well known also as a ‘passionfruit martini’ so they could easily have gone with an alternative. If you didn’t know that you must have been missing out on your favourite drink on a few occasions!

By the way passion fruit martini is slightly different! Cocktail connoisseurs here

Slow hand clap to all the cool girls who are down with normalising the fast creeping, insidious world of porn into our lives. Go you!