The Hanky Panky Cocktail

HISTORY OF THE HANKY PANKY

HISTORY OF THE HANKY PANKY

The Hanky Panky cocktail recipe is a minor departure from the sweet martini, seeing that it calls for gin and sweet vermouth. However, the Hanky Panky cocktail includes Fernet Branca, an Italian amaro made from bitter herbs and spices. By including several dashes of this natural remedy, the sweet martini transformed into a completely different drink.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Hanky Panky was invented by Ada ‘Coley’ Coleman, the head bartender of the Savoy Hotel’s American Bar. Coleman served at The Savoy from 1903 until her retirement in 1926. Coleman created the Hanky-Panky for Sir Charles Hawtrey, an Victorian and Edwardian actor who would visit Coley after work to drink new cocktails she created.

HOW TO MAKE THE HANKY PANKY COCKTAIL

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1.5 oz. Dry Gin
  • 1.5 oz. Sweet Vermouth
  • 1 bar spoon Fernet-Branca

GARNISH:
Orange twist, expressed

DIRECTIONS:
Add all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir. If possible, use relatively large cubes, since you are incorporating a spirit into an equal measure of a much weaker alcohol.  When you have attained your desired dilution, strain into a chilled coupe glass, garnish, and enjoy

VARIATIONS ON THE HANKY PANKY

VARIATIONS ON THE HANKY PANKY

The Hanky Panky is a fairly standard member of the larger “Manhattan/Martini” family of drinks, which generally consist of a Spirit, a vermouth, and some sort of bitters, often with a citrus garnish. So in terms of directionality, the Hanky Panky is ITSELF a variation on what we might call a “Sweet Martini.” However, if you’d like to truly make this drink your own, you have three basic options:

  • Substitute the dry gin for another style of gin (or another spirit entirely)
  • Play around with different vermouths
  • Explore the dazzling array of Fernets on the market

The true heart of the Hanky Panky is the fact that it takes something familiar (gin and vermouth) and makes it stunning and sexy with the addition of a mere bar spoon of an exotic flavor. If you’re willing and able to follow this template, the renditions on this drink you can dream up will be almost endless.