Spirit-Forward · Aperitivo · Autumn

Hanky Panky

Gin and sweet vermouth with a small pour of Fernet cutting through the middle. Bittersweet and aromatic — Ada Coleman built it at the Savoy.

Base: Gin
Glass: Coupe glass
Method: Stir
Strength: 22.94% ABV

Ingredients

45 mlLondon Dry Gin1 swap
Any London dry ginhigh
Depends on the brand’s botanicals
45 mlSweet Red Vermouth
7.5 mlFernet

How to make

Technique

Stir · 20–30s

Stirring chills and dilutes gently while keeping the drink silky and clear.

Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes.
Stir well.
Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Serve

Glass

Coupe glassAlso fine: Martini glass, Nick & Nora glass

Garnish

Orange zest.Twisted over the surface so the oil lands on the drink.

Taste & nutrition

22.94%ABV

179kcal

2.21Drinks

StrengthBoozy

Sweet to dryBalanced

Estimated from ingredient amounts and assumed ABVs — not a lab measurement.

Good to know

Stir, never shake — it stays clear and silky.

History

Yearc. 1903

PlaceLondon, England

Created byAda “Coley” Coleman (Savoy)

Ada "Coley" Coleman created the Hanky Panky in the early 1900s at the American Bar of London's Savoy Hotel. Sweet vermouth and gin are given a dark, bittersweet twist by a couple of dashes of Fernet Branca. She made it for actor Sir Charles Hawtrey, who declared it "the real hanky-panky." It stands as a landmark drink from one of history's great bartenders.

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