Hanky Panky Cocktail

A nice extension of a Gin Martini, the Hanky Panky Cocktail adds Fernet and Orange Juice while also swapping up the Dry Vermouth for sweet for a unique drink that was created some time in the early 1900's.

If you like a Martini, give this a go as part of the further exploration of the drink. Alternatively, if you're just a fan of Gin, this is just one of many great Gin cocktails that you can have to continue to explore this wonderful spirit.

Whatever reason you're trying this cocktail, enjoy it.

Total Time 3

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

45 mL Gin
45 mL Sweet Vermouth
2 dashes Fernet Fernet Branca is preferred, but any Fernet will work.
1 dash Orange Juice
Garnish with Orange Peel

Instructions

Put Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Fernet, and Orange Juice into mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir until cold.
Strain into a Martini glass.
Garnish, enjoy.

Notes

The Hanky Panky Cocktail was created by Ada Coleman in the early 1900's at the Savoy Hotel in London. Coleman served a variety of well known people during her time at the Savoy including actor Sir Charles Hawtrey. Hawtrey was a lover of cocktails, so Coleman strived to create something for him. That creation was the Hanky Panky cocktail.

More on the Hanky Panky Cocktail

We mentioned that is a bit of an extension of a Martini, but it takes a bit of a turn right out of the gate. The recipe swaps out the Dry Vermouth and replaces it with Sweet Vermouth, which is needed thanks to the couple dashes of Fernet used, which can be bit on the bitter side. All in all the drink presents quite a bit sweeter than a Martini of course, as there’s not a lot of Fernet (or even Orange Juice) to augment the flavour. But that’s what this recipe is all about. Some more obvious flavours from the Gin and Sweet Vermouth then some subtle additions through just a few dashes of other ingredients. The dashes aren’t meant to be in your face, just a little bit to add some interest. Of course you’re welcome to alter the amount of dashes (or the size of the dashes) to suit your taste. Just don’t get to heavy handed.

Does the Hanky Panky Cocktail recipe still work if you make more than one at the same time?

Yes, this cocktail recipe batches very well. If you can fit it all in your mixing glass, you’re good to go. Otherwise, feel free to try and make a larger batch in a jug and serve it all to guests at your fun cocktail party.

Is it OK to make the Hanky Panky in advance?

Yes, but don’t make it too far in advance. Although it’s stirred and only has a little bit of Orange Juice, we’ve found that letting anything with citrus sit too long changes the consistency of the cocktail. Assuming you’re making a batch of these of guests when they arrive, make it only about an hour before, probably sooner.

Is there a particular time you like to have a Hanky Panky Cocktail?

Gin cocktails like this always seem to be the type that are just there to be cocktails. They’re not trying to be or do anything other than be enjoyed during the “cocktail hour.” They don’t seem to want to be paired with a food or given an occasion. They’re just tasty and they’re there! We mostly see this as a good thing. It’s a cocktail that can stand on its own without anything else to prop it up.

Beyond that, as the Hanky Panky leans a little bit on the sweeter side of things, if you did need to decide what to do with the Hanky Panky in relation to eating, we’d say have it after dinner. Maybe you can have one of these with dessert, after dessert, or to replace dessert. This is a little unusual because (in our opinion) we usually think of Gin as a spirit for earlier in the evening but we think that thanks to the Sweet Vermouth, this is moving into later in the night territory.

How strong is the Hanky Panky Cocktail?

Like so many cocktail recipes, the Hanky Panky tries to balance flavour with alcohol content. It’s possible to load up a cocktail with a lot of different alcoholic ingredients to get it some amazing flavours, but then you’ll put your drinkers on the floor extremely quickly. The Hanky Panky Cocktail manages to balance things quite well with a relatively normal amount of base spirit (the Gin) being augmented well with a not over the top amount of modifier (Sweet Vermouth). So we’re going to say the Hanky Panky does a good job of keeping itself average in strength. Enjoy!

What music is best to put on when drinking a Hanky Panky Cocktail?

This recipe comes from early 1900’s London and has a pretty old fashioned name as well. Who says “hanky panky” anymore anyway? We don’t want to push this recipe into a specific corner just because it’s old and from London, but it definitely influences the attitude the cocktail is giving off.

That being said, we’re going to push the Hanky Panky into the “old” corner and suggest some older music to go with it. It’s a great cocktail, don’t get us wrong, it’s just that it feels very old fashioned. We wouldn’t necessarily suggest anything classical to go with this cocktail, but maybe some elegant piano music from the early 1900’s to go here.