Classic cocktails · Gin · IBA official
A sweet Martini with a secret: just a barspoon or two of Fernet-Branca, and suddenly there is menthol, saffron and a dark, bitter edge running through the vermouth. Rich, dry-finishing and very grown-up.
1½ oz
London dry gine.g. Tanqueray · Gordon's · Beefeater · Bombay Sapphire · Sipsmith
1½ oz
sweet vermouthe.g. Martini · Cinzano · Carpano · Cocchi · Punt e Mes
¼ oz
Fernet-BrancaBuy on Amazon →
Garnish: Orange twist · Ice: Served up, no ice
Hanky Panky
Bittersweet and herbal, with rich vermouth, juniper and a cooling, minty bitterness from the Fernet. Strong and silky.
The Hanky Panky was created by Ada Coleman, head bartender of the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London in the early 20th century and one of the most celebrated bartenders of her time. She made it for the actor Sir Charles Hawtrey, a regular who asked for something with a bit of punch; after tasting it, he is said to have declared it the real hanky-panky, and the name stuck.
The recipe was printed in Harry Craddock's The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930, and it is on the International Bartenders Association's list of Unforgettables. Its revival in the craft cocktail era owes a lot to the renewed interest in Fernet-Branca among bartenders.
Ada Coleman, head bartender at the American Bar of the Savoy in London, created it for the actor Sir Charles Hawtrey.
It is an intensely bitter Italian amaro with notes of menthol, saffron and herbs.
It should be stirred; shaking clouds the drink and adds air to a spirit-only cocktail.
The perfect sound
A witty evening at the Savoy's American Bar in its golden age.
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