Hanky Panky

The Hanky Panky has a herbal, bitter, complex, aromatic flavor profile. A mysterious and sophisticated gin cocktail with herbal complexity from sweet vermouth and the distinctive bitter edge of Fernet-Branca. This pre-Prohibition classic delivers an intriguing balance of botanical gin, rich vermouth, and aromatic Italian amaro.

A Hanky Panky requires 4 ingredients: London Dry Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Fernet-Branca, Orange Peel.

A Hanky Panky takes about 3 minutes to prepare and is considered easy difficulty.

A Hanky Panky is traditionally served in a coupe, garnished with Orange peel.

Yes, you can make a mocktail version of the Hanky Panky by substituting the spirits with non-alcoholic alternatives such as seedlip, non-alcoholic distilled spirits, or flavored syrups and juices that mimic the original flavor profile.

The Hanky Panky was created around 1903 by Ada 'Coley' Coleman at the American Bar in the Savoy Hotel, London. Coleman was a trailblazing figure in the cocktail world, serving as head bartender during the hotel's golden age and becoming one of the first women to gain recognition in the male-dominated bartending profession. The cocktail's provocative name supposedly came from actor Charles Hawtrey, a regular patron who exclaimed 'By Jove! That is the real hanky-panky!' after tasting Coleman's creation. The drink represents the sophisticated cocktail culture of pre-Prohibition London, where American-style mixed drinks were gaining popularity among the theater crowd and social elite. Coleman's innovation was the addition of Fernet-Branca, an Italian amaro that was relatively unknown in cocktails at the time. This bitter herbal liqueur, originally created as a medicinal tonic, gave the drink its distinctive character and set it apart from other gin and vermouth combinations. The Hanky Panky survived Prohibition and has experienced a renaissance in modern craft cocktail bars, celebrated both for its historical significance and Coleman's pioneering role in cocktail history.