Hanky Panky
Gin and sweet vermouth with a sharp edge of bitter, minty amaro. A Savoy classic created by Ada Coleman.
- MethodStirred
- GlassCoupe
- IceNone (served up)
- Strengthabout 21.4% ABV
- BaseGin, Wine & aperitivo
- Tastebitter, sweet, herbal
Recipe
| 45 ml 1½ oz | London dry gin |
| 45 ml 1½ oz | Sweet (red) vermouth |
| 7.5 ml ¼ oz | Fernet-style bitter amaro |
Garnish. A wide strip of orange peel, squeezed over the surface and dropped in.
Method
- Chill a coupe.
- Put the gin, vermouth and amaro in a mixing glass with plenty of ice.
- Stir for about 30 seconds.
- Strain into the coupe and express the orange peel over the top.
About the Hanky Panky
The Hanky Panky is a sweet Martini given bite by a small measure of fernet, a very bitter, minty Italian amaro. It is rich and sweet up front, then dry and medicinal on the finish. A little of the amaro goes a long way.
History
Earliest record 1930: Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book, London
Documented
Ada Coleman was head bartender of the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London from 1903 until the mid-1920s, one of very few women in that role. In a 1925 newspaper interview she said she made the drink for the actor-manager Sir Charles Hawtrey (1858–1923), who asked for something with "a bit of punch", and that he named it on first tasting. The recipe was printed in The Savoy Cocktail Book (London, 1930) under her successor Harry Craddock, with Fernet-Branca as the amaro.
Legend and lore
The details of the scene, such as Hawtrey's exact words, rest on Coleman's own telling years later. The exact year is not known.
Disputed or unclear: The year Coleman created it is not recorded; it must be before Hawtrey's death in 1923.
Variations
Bartender's notes
- Use a fernet-style amaro (the 1930 recipe names Fernet-Branca); a softer amaro makes a different drink.
- Start with 5 ml amaro if you are new to fernet, and work up.
