Hanky Panky

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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 Rating: ⭐⭐

Kendall’s Take: "I can tell this is a vintage recipe because, wow, is it strong and incredibly booze-forward in flavor. The only drink of this vein I can stomach at the time of writing this is a Gibson, and even those I prefer dirty. The Hanky Panky is definitely more complex than I expected for using only three ingredients, so I have to give it points for that. But ultimately, this one was not for me. I probably need a few more decades of experience drinking stronger cocktails before I'll really enjoy it."

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Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from Steve The Bartender's Cocktail Guide by Steve Roennfeldt.