Hanky Panky Cocktail Recipe
A sweet Martini turned inside out by two dashes of Fernet-Branca — bitter, minty and bracing.
- Category: The Unforgettables
- Glass: Coupe glass
- ABV: 28%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Gin45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Sweet red vermouth45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Fernet-Branca2 dash
How to Make It
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir until well chilled.
- Strain into a chilled coupe.
- Express orange zest over the surface.
Garnish
Orange zest
What it tastes like
It has a bitter backbone, it has a green, botanical backdrop and the spirit is right out front.
The technique
Stirring. All-spirit drinks are stirred — shaking whips air into them and ruins both the clarity and the texture. Thirty to forty seconds in a mixing glass, the spoon tracing the wall. You are after the same ~20% dilution, just slower and under control.
Glass and ice
A stemmed, shallow coupe. The stem keeps your hand's warmth away from the drink, and the wide bowl carries the aroma to your nose. Served without ice.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Gin
- London dry gin: juniper up front, citrus and coriander behind it. Brand really does show here — Beefeater is sharp, Hendrick's floral, Tanqueray juniper-heavy.
- Sweet red vermouth
- Once opened it lives IN THE FRIDGE and should be finished within a month; a bottle left at room temperature oxidises in a few weeks and sours the drink.
- Fernet-Branca
- The best-known brand of the fernet category, around 39% and markedly bitter. Another fernet works, but most are softer, so the measure goes up a little.
The Story
Created by Ada Coleman at the Savoy's American Bar in the early 1900s; the actor Charles Hawtrey tasted it and said "by Jove, that is the real hanky-panky".
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Hanky Panky mixed?
- It is stirred and served in a coupe.
- How strong is a Hanky Panky?
- Roughly 28% ABV as served — a spirit-strength drink — sipped slowly, and it wants a glass of water beside it.
- Can a Hanky Panky be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Hanky Panky hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.