Hanky Panky
Herbal, elegant, reviving.
Equal parts gin and sweet vermouth with a touch of Fernet, stirred and served cold. The Fernet adds a minty, bitter edge that gives character to a classic base.
- IBA · The Unforgettables
- Aperitif
- Stirred
- Glass
- Cocktail glass
- Method
- Stirred
- Strength
- Strong
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Ice
- No ice
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Gin
45 ml
-
Sweet red vermouth
45 ml
-
Fernet-Branca
7.5 ml
Garnish
- Orange twist
Proportions
How to make
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- Fill a mixing glass with ice.
- Pour the gin.
- Pour the sweet red vermouth.
- Pour the Fernet.
- Stir well.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with orange zest.
The story
Origins
DocumentedOrigin attested by written sources of the time.
The Hanky Panky is tied to Ada "Coley" Coleman, the celebrated head bartender of the American Bar at London's Savoy, where she worked from 1903 until Harry Craddock replaced her in early 1926. According to the story told in the London press when she retired, actor Sir Charles Hawtrey asked her for something to revive him; after tasting the drink he is said to have exclaimed that it was "the real hanky panky". The date of creation is uncertain: it is usually placed in the early 1900s, while Difford's Guide suggests 1921. The recipe appears in print in Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, which does not name its creator.
Taste profile
- Herbal
- 4 out of 5
- Strong
- 4 out of 5
- Bitter
- 3 out of 5
- Sweet
- 2 out of 5
