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Papi, a bar in Portland, Maine, is serving the Mami Chula, a rum-and-passion-fruit cocktail inspired by the Pornstar Martini. Beverage director Izzy Stein builds its Cava custard foam from reduced sparkling wine, egg yolk, cream and vanilla; the topping is designed to balance the drink’s tart fruit with a richer texture.
Papi, a bar in Portland, Maine, is serving the Mami Chula, a rum-based, passion fruit cocktail topped with custard foam made with reduced Cava. Beverage and creative director Izzy Stein developed the drink as a riff on the Pornstar Martini, using the Spanish sparkling wine in the foam to add acidity and a contrast to its creamy texture.
Stein started with the topping, not the cocktail. She was experimenting with a Cava custard for a crème brûlée-inspired Pisco Sour, then built a different drink around the foam. The result pairs a tart, fruit-forward cocktail with an airy custard that customers can stir in to adjust the drink’s sweetness and texture.
To make the foam, Stein reduces several bottles of Cava, usually Martínez, by about 40 percent. She combines the concentrated wine with egg yolk, cream and vanilla, then charges the mixture in an iSi canister, a device used in professional bars and kitchens to aerate liquids. Stein says reducing the wine concentrates its flavor and heightens its bitter and acidic notes.
The cocktail combines rum infused with house-made bourbon and vanilla bean paste with lime juice, passion fruit liqueur, syrup and pulp. The team shakes the ingredients and serves them over ice in a mini milkshake glass, finishing the drink with a tall swirl of Cava custard foam. The build draws on the vanilla and passion fruit flavors associated with a Pornstar Martini, while reworking its sparkling-wine accompaniment as a topping.
How the Foam Shapes the Drink
The Mami Chula is an example of a bar using foam as more than a decorative cap. In this drink, the Cava custard supplies both flavor and a change in texture, while its richness can temper the cocktail’s lime and passion fruit. Because the topping holds its shape instead of immediately blending into the liquid, customers can decide how much to mix in.
That choice is central to Stein’s design, according to VinePair’s report. She described the cocktail as “interactive,” saying she wanted a balance between the creamy topping and the bright, acidic drink rather than foam added only for appearance. For customers, the idea is a cocktail whose sweetness and mouthfeel shift as they drink it.
The presentation has also changed since the drink’s earlier version. Stein says the previous, larger serving was topped with custard foam caramelized using a torch. Papi now serves it in a smaller milkshake glass with two branded straws. Stein told VinePair that the more modest presentation has accompanied increased popularity, though the report provides no sales figures to quantify that change.
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From Pisco Sour to Mami Chula
The drink’s starting point was Stein’s attempt to develop a crème brûlée-inspired Pisco Sour. The custard foam survived that idea, but the cocktail beneath it changed. Stein told VinePair that developing the final drink was “a little bit of a scavenger hunt,” as she worked outward from the foam to find a spirit and fruit profile that suited it.
The Pornstar Martini reference comes through in the cocktail’s vanilla and passion fruit elements. Stein’s version uses rum infused with bourbon and vanilla bean paste rather than the vanilla-flavored vodka often associated with the classic drink. Passion fruit appears in three forms—liqueur, syrup and pulp—while the Cava foam reimagines the sparkling-wine sidecar as part of the drink itself.
VinePair describes foamy toppings as appearing across drinks, from coffee to cocktails, but the report’s focus is the specific recipe and presentation at Papi. It does not provide a menu price, a recipe with exact ingredient measures, or a date for when the Mami Chula first appeared on the menu.
““It was a little bit of a scavenger hunt, starting from a small concept and then just building around that.””
— Izzy Stein, beverage and creative director at Papi, speaking to VinePair
The source does not state when the Mami Chula launched, its current price, or whether it is available year-round. It also does not provide exact measures for the cocktail or foam, so the reported description is not a complete recipe.
Stein’s account that the new presentation has made the drink more popular is attributed to her; VinePair does not report sales numbers or a comparison period. The source likewise does not describe how the foam is handled for guests with egg or dairy allergies. The custard contains egg yolk and cream, so those ingredients are relevant for people avoiding eggs or dairy.
Check Papi for Current Availability
The report identifies the Mami Chula as a Papi drink but gives no future menu plans, scheduled events or announced changes. Readers interested in trying it will need to check with Papi in Portland for current availability and price. Any later change to its presentation, ingredients or menu status is not specified in the source.
Key Questions
What is the Mami Chula?
It is a rum-based cocktail at Papi in Portland, Maine, made with lime and several passion fruit ingredients and topped with Cava custard foam. Stein developed it as a Pornstar Martini-inspired drink.
What is in the Cava custard foam?
Stein reduces Cava by about 40 percent and combines it with egg yolk, cream and vanilla. The mixture is aerated in an iSi canister. The source does not give exact measurements.
How is the cocktail related to a Pornstar Martini?
The Mami Chula draws on the Pornstar Martini’s vanilla and passion fruit profile. It uses rum infused with bourbon and vanilla bean paste, plus passion fruit liqueur, syrup and pulp. The Cava foam reworks the sparkling-wine element as a topping.
Does the drink contain common allergens?
The reported foam includes egg yolk and cream, which contain egg and dairy allergens. The source does not list every ingredient or discuss cross-contact, so guests with allergies should confirm details directly with Papi before ordering.
How much does it cost, and when is it available?
The report does not state the cocktail’s price, launch date or current availability. Contact Papi for its latest menu information.
Source: vinepair.com
