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Cocktail History
The Hanky Panky is a classic cocktail that was created in the early 1900s by the legendary female bartender Ada Coleman at The Savoy Hotel in London, England. The recipe is made using a simple mixture of common Prohibition-era ingredient—gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet-Branca. Cocktail legend also says its name came to be after Coleman made the drink for a customer who after one sip exclaimed, “By Jove! This is the real hanky panky.”
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Gin: This is a spirit made with juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. This recipe specifically calls for Hendrick’s Gin, but I used Prairie Organic Spirits Gin.
Sweet Vermouth: This is a fortified wine made with grapes, sugar, botanicals, herbs, sugar, and alcohol. I used Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth.
Fernet-Branca: This is an amaro made in Italy with gentian, aloe, herbs, spices, sugar, and alcohol.
Orange Twist: This is the peel of an orange that has been twisted into a corkscrew shape.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Mixing Glass: This is used to hold the ingredients while they’re being stirred. used the Viski 17 oz Cocktail Mixing Glass.
Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. I used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.
Julep Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is stirred. I used the A Bar Above Julep Strainer.
Peeler: This is used to remove the garnish peel from the citrus. I used the OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Peeler Set.
Tasting Notes
This cocktail has the following flavor profile:
• Appearance: Dark red-ish brown color
• Aroma: Distinct vermouth and citrus
• Taste: Slightly grassy fortified wine with gin botanicals and amaro bitterness
• Finish: Slight menthol and orange notes
Kendall’s Take
“The Hanky Panky definitely feels like a classic cocktail from another era. It’s a bold, spirit-forward drink, but the small addition of Fernet-Branca gives it a surprising amount of complexity for such a simple ingredient list. The herbal note adds depth and keeps the drink from feeling one-dimensional. If you like exploring classic cocktails that really let the spirits shine, this is a fascinating one to try.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was found in the book Steve The Bartender’s Cocktail Guide by Steve Roennfeldt.
Hanky Panky
Description
The Hanky Panky is a classic cocktail created in the early 1900s by famed bartender Ada Coleman at London’s Savoy Hotel. Made with gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet-Branca, its name reportedly came from a customer’s impressed exclamation: “By Jove! This is the real hanky panky.”
Ingredients
Method
Add gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet-Branca to a mixing glass.
Fill mixing glass with cubed ice.
Using a bar spoon, stir for 30-45 seconds until well-chilled and slightly diluted.
Using a julep strainer, strain into a coupe glass.
Garnish with orange twist.
