Batched Hanky Panky

The Hanky Panky’s cocktail roots date to the 1900s, when bartender Ada “Coley” Coleman created this combination of gin, amaro, and sweet vermouth at the beloved American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London. With the resurgence of fernet-based cocktails, the drink is beginning to see more love on modern menus, and has become required knowledge for classics-minded bartenders everywhere. 

Katherine Lewin, owner of New York City’s home, entertaining, and hosting retailer Big Night, and author of Big Night: Dinners, Parties, & Dinner Parties, scales up the classic when she accommodates guests. If you’re burnt out on the same old party punches and sangrias, there’s no simpler, more sophisticated drink to kick off or end a night. — Oset Babür-Winter

What makes the Batched Hanky Panky work?

Fernet, on its own, isn’t for everyone, but it’s absolutely at home alongside the other components in this boozy, simple drink. 

For the perfect balance, you’ll want to keep things simple with a classic dry gin. Sweet vermouth smooths out the otherwise bittersweet, bracingly minty notes of fernet, a classic Milanese amaro best known to most consumers through the popular Fernet-Branca offering. 

While you can certainly make a Hanky Panky for one, this party-ready recipe serves eight, and comes together in minutes. The entire cocktail can be pre-mixed and batched up to six weeks in advance, and popped into the fridge for an hour before serving to chill. The non-negotiable? Coupe glasses — there’s no other way to enjoy a proper Hanky Panky, after all. –OBW