In the early 1900s, Ada ‘Coley’ Coleman became the first female head bartender of the ultra-prestigious Savoy Hotel in London. It’s there where she’s said to have created the cocktail she’s become best known for: the Hanky Panky — a punchy riff on a sweet martini that she claims to have invented for the comic actor Sir Charles Hawtrey. 

In honour of International Women’s Day this year, beverage expert Evelyn Chick wanted to toast Coleman with her own take on this classic cocktail. “Being named the first ever lead in such an establishment paved the way for opportunities for many female bartenders like myself,” Evelyn said. 

While this recipe traditionally calls for orange peel to garnish, Evelyn’s version opts for lemon zest “to add some brightness to the peach bitters,” which she also adds here to “bring up some fruit notes.”

Scroll down for the full recipe, then check out the video to see how to make Evelyn’s twist on a Hanky Panky.

Hanky Panky

By Evelyn Chick

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz London dry gin
• 1.5 oz sweet vermouth
• 0.25 oz Fernet-Branca
• 4 drops peach bitters (optional)
• Lemon peel, to garnish

Preparation

Fill a mixing glass and a coupe glass each with ice, stir and let the coupe sit to chill. To the mixing glass, add the gin, vermouth, Fernet-Branca, and bitters and stir until well-diluted, about 10-15 seconds. Strain mixture into your chilled coupe glass with the ice now removed. Using a potato peeler, grab a long twist of lemon peel and zest it over the drink for aromatics. For a cleaner look, trim the sides of the peel before garnishing. Enjoy! 

Makes one cocktail.

Produced in association with CBC Creator Network.