Hanky panky (cocktail)

Hanky panky

IBA official cocktail
Type	Mixed drink
Base spirit	Gin Vermouth
Served	Straight up: chilled, without ice
Standard garnish	Orange zest
Standard drinkware	Cocktail glass
IBA specified ingredients†	45 ml London dry gin 45 ml Sweet red vermouth 7.5 ml Fernet-Branca
Preparation	Stirred over ice, strained into a chilled glass, garnished, and served up.
† Hanky panky recipe at International Bartenders Association

The hanky panky is a cocktail made from gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet-Branca. It is a variation on the sweet martini, or Martinez, made distinctive by the Fernet-Branca, a bitter Italian digestivo. It was created by Ada "Coley" Coleman, head bartender at the Savoy Hotel, London.

Recipe

A recipe for the cocktail was included in

• 1⁄2 (1+1⁄2 oz) Italian vermouth
• 1⁄2 (1+1⁄2 oz) dry gin
• 2 dashes Fernet-Branca

Stir

Strain into a (4 oz.) cocktail glass.

Garnish by squeezing an orange peel over the top.

History

The hanky panky was the brainchild of

Coleman created the hanky panky for Hawtrey. He was a Victorian and Edwardian actor who mentored

The late Charles Hawtrey ... was one of the best judges of cocktails that I knew. Some years ago, when he was overworking, he used to come into the bar and say, "Coley, I am tired. Give me something with a bit of punch in it." It was for him that I spent hours experimenting until I had invented a new cocktail. The next time he came in, I told him I had a new drink for him. He sipped it, and, draining the glass, he said, "By Jove! That is the real hanky-panky!", And Hanky-Panky it has been called ever since.

The hanky panky is a variation on the

• List of cocktails

References