Hanky Panky
A silky gin martini with sweet vermouth and a dash of Fernet-Branca for a bitter herbal finish.
Ingredients
- Gin, London Dry or Old Tom, ideally45 ml
- Fernet, adjust a little up or down to taste7.5 ml
- Sweet vermouth, Italian, red45 ml
- Orange, to garnish (optional)1 twist
Method
- Fill a mixing glass with ice cubes.
- Add the gin, sweet vermouth and Fernet-Branca.
- Stir calmly for 20–40 seconds, until the drink is cold and well diluted.
- Strain into a chilled coupe.
- Twist a strip of orange peel over the drink to release its aromatic oils, and drop it into the glass.
Ada Coleman, Savoy Hotel, London
About this drink
The Hanky Panky was created by Ada Coleman, head bartender at the Savoy Hotel's American Bar in the early twentieth century. It came about when the actor Charles Hawtrey asked for something with a proper bite after a long day of rehearsals, and the Fernet-Branca gave exactly the bitter finish that made him exclaim, "That's the real hanky-panky!" It remains an IBA classic and a fine example of how well gin, sweet vermouth and Italian bitterness play together.
