Hanky Panky

Ada Coleman (Coley), American Bar at the Savoy Hotel, London, circa 1903–1925. Coleman served as head bartender at the American Bar from 1903 to 1925, the first (and for many decades, only) female head bartender at a major London hotel bar. She created the Hanky Panky for the actor Sir Charles Hawtrey, who requested something with 'a bit of punch in it.' The drink's name was Hawtrey's response to tasting it: 'By Jove! That is the real Hanky Panky!'

The Hanky Panky is the oldest cocktail created by a woman in professional bartending — gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet-Branca, stirred and served in a coupe, created by Ada Coleman (known as Coley) at the American Bar of the Savoy Hotel in London around 1903–1925. Coleman was the first female head bartender at the Savoy and served as its head bartender from 1903 to 1925. She created the Hanky Panky for Sir Charles Hawtrey, a famous actor who asked her for 'something with a bit of punch in it' — Fernet-Branca's mentholated bitterness was the punch. The drink is a Martini variant with Fernet replacing the dry vermouth, creating a much more bitter, medicinal, aromatic cocktail that sits between an aperitivo and a digestivo.

FOOD PAIRING: The Hanky Panky's medicinal bitterness and sweet vermouth richness pairs with rich, fatty, and umami-heavy preparations. Provenance 1000 pairings: beef tartare (the menthol freshness of Fernet cuts through raw beef's iron quality), aged Gruyère with truffle honey (the bitter-sweet contrast), duck liver paté with toast, foie gras with port reduction (the vermouth's sweetness bridges), and dark chocolate with sea salt.