Hanky Panky
Gin, sweet vermouth and two dashes of Fernet-Branca, stirred with an orange twist. Ada Coleman's Savoy drink from the 1920s — the first great cocktail by a woman bartender, and the one that made fernet a modifier.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe.
Add the gin, sweet vermouth and fernet to a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 25 seconds.
Strain into the chilled coupe, express an orange peel over the top and drop it in.
A thoughtful finish
- Two dashes of fernet is Coleman's recipe and is enough; it should be a bitter-mint shadow, not a flavour.
- Equal parts gin and vermouth is the Savoy's proportion; two to one gin makes it drier and more modern.
- The orange peel is essential; its oil bridges the fernet and the vermouth.
Common mistakes
- More than a bar-spoon of fernet.
- Dry vermouth; the drink is sweet vermouth.
- Tired vermouth in a drink that is half vermouth.
A few good questions.
Who was Ada Coleman?
Head bartender of the Savoy's American Bar from 1903 to 1925 — the first woman in the job — and the creator of the Hanky Panky.
What does 'hanky panky' mean?
In the 1920s, magic or sleight of hand, not what it means now. Hawtrey's exclamation named the drink.
What does it taste like?
A sweet gin Martini with a bitter, minty edge from the fernet — rich, aromatic, a little mysterious.
Can I use another fernet?
Yes; the drink was built on Fernet-Branca but any fernet gives the idea.
Variations
- Martinez — Old Tom gin, sweet vermouth and maraschino.
- Negroni — Gin, Campari and sweet vermouth.
- Toronto — Rye, fernet, sugar and bitters.
- Fernet and Coke — Argentina's fernet drink.
Where it comes from
c. 1925 · London · Ada Coleman · American Bar, Savoy Hotel
Ada ‘Coley’ Coleman ran the Savoy’s American Bar from 1903 to 1925, the first woman to hold the post, and she made the Hanky Panky for the actor Sir Charles Hawtrey, who asked for ‘something with a bit of punch in it’ — gin and sweet vermouth with two dashes of Fernet-Branca. He drank it and said, ‘By Jove! That is the real hanky-panky!’ — Edwardian slang for magic. Harry Craddock, who succeeded her, printed it in the Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. It is a sweet Martini with fernet’s bitter mint behind it, and it is the drink that first showed what a dash of fernet could do.
Sources
- Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930 (book)
- The Savoy, American Bar history, 1925 (archive)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
Strength. About 1.54 US standard drinks at an estimated 25.1% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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