Stirred, boozy, and beloved by bartenders across the globe, the Hanky Panky feels like a modern creation, but it’s steeped in history. The drink made its print debut in Harry Craddock’s “The Savoy Cocktail Book” in 1930, but like many of the recipes that appear in that classic cocktail tome, this one wasn’t invented by Craddock himself. In fact, the Hanky Panky is the first canonical drink to be attributed to a female bartender: Ada “Coley” Coleman, who served as head bartender at the American Bar at London’s Savoy Hotel before Craddock took the reins.
Coleman first whipped up the cocktail for English actor and American bar regular Sir Charles Hawtrey who, at the time, was starring in a play at the Savoy Theatre next door. Allegedly, Hawtrey walked in and said, “Coley, I’m half dead; what can you do to make me quite alive?” Coley replied with this Negroni-adjacent blend of gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet-Branca. Hawtrey dubbed it the Hanky Panky on the spot, likening it to a sort of “hocus-pocus” or magical spell.
Here to give us a full rundown on this classic is Ektoras Binikos, a New-York-based industry pro, and co-owner of Sugar Monk in Harlem and the upcoming Bitter Monk in Brooklyn’s Industry City. Get ready for a deep dive on pre-Prohibition cocktails, a debate on Martini & Rossi versus Carpano Antica, and a chat about saffron in spirits. It’s all right here on the “Cocktail College” podcast. Tune in for more.
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