Hanky Panky

After dinner/digestif · Classic/vintage · Hall of Fame and must know/try

4.2 216 ratings

Ingredients

How to make

Flavour profile

22.9% alc./vol. · 1.6 standard drinks · 179 calories

History

This classic, a Sweet Martini influenced by bittersweet and aromatic fernet liqueur, is delicious when made well. Fernet lovers may increase the fernet liqueur to 7.5ml (½oz).

Ada "Coley" Coleman is credited with inventing the Hanky Panky at The Savoy's American Bar in London during the early 1900s. The drink was created for actor Sir Charles Hawtrey (1858–1923). It is featured in Harry Craddock's 1930 publication, The Savoy Cocktail Book, with the following recipe: HANKY PANKY COCKTAIL. 2 Dashes Fernet Branca. ½ Italian vermouth. ½ Dry gin. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top. Around the time of her retirement, Coley was quoted in London newspapers. The Daily News featured her on December 21st, 1925, in a "Cocktail Lore" column titled "Savoy's Woman Mixer to retire." The Sphere also published a piece about her on January 2nd, 1926, called "The Cocktail Queen." Miss Coleman, known as "Coley" to patrons of The Savoy's American Bar, was set to retire on a pension in January. She was considered an expert on cocktails. "Coley" observed thousands of Englishmen and Americans drinking cocktails, noting their differences: Englishmen preferred dry drinks, sipped slowly, and were discerning cocktail judges who examined their drinks meditatively. Americans, on the other hand, preferred sweet drinks, consumed them quickly, and were less able to distinguish between them, ruminating over the flavor instead. Miss Coleman mixed drinks for many notable figures, including the Prince of Wales, Mark Twain, James Corbett, and Mr. "A.," as well as numerous oil tycoons. She once devised a new cocktail for Sir Charles Hawtrey, who, after tasting it, exclaimed, "By Jove, this is the real hanky panky!" The drink subsequently became known as Hanky-Panky. It was Sir Charles Hawtrey who gave the name to one of her notable concoctions. He once entered the bar feeling unwell and asked Coley, "Coley, I'm half dead; what can you do to make me quite alive?" Miss Coleman prepared a mixture that revived the actor. The following day, he returned, stating, "I'm half dead again; give me some more of that hanky-panky stuff." After he consumed it again, the cocktail was named Hanky-Panky from that day forward, enjoyed by thousands of connoisseurs. It is believed that Coley created her renowned cocktail in 1921. This was around the time Hawtrey was both producing and starring in Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure at the Savoy Theatre, adjacent to the hotel. Earlier that year, he had also produced Basil McDonald Hastings' Hanky Panky John, a farce centered on the theft of a £100 note. The Sporting Times reported on February 5th, 1921, that the play's title character was a butler "nicknamed Hanky Panky because he had invented a cocktail so-called – had arranged the stolen note spoof..." Therefore, Hawtrey was likely referencing this recent production when he dubbed Coley's creation "the real Hanky Panky." Ada "Coley" Coleman honed her skills at Claridge's Hotel before moving to The Savoy in July 1903. There, she managed the hotel's renowned American Bar until Harry Craddock took over in January 1926. Following this, she briefly managed The American Bar at Gatti's restaurant on the Strand, near The Savoy, before her well-publicized retirement. The Hanky-Panky remains her most celebrated creation.

Created by Ada 'Coley' Coleman