Which cocktail was created by Ada Coleman at London’s Savoy Hotel?

Ada Coleman created the Hanky Panky at London’s Savoy Hotel.

Coleman, known as “Coley,” was the Savoy American Bar’s head bartender and one of the most prominent female bartenders of the early twentieth century. She created the drink for actor Charles Hawtrey, according to the account repeated in Savoy cocktail history.

The Hanky Panky combines gin, sweet vermouth and Fernet-Branca, an Italian bitter herbal liqueur. The Fernet gives the drink its distinctive bitter, aromatic depth and separates it from more familiar gin-and-vermouth cocktails.

The drink’s name reportedly came from Hawtrey’s reaction after tasting it: “By Jove! That is the real hanky-panky!” Ada Coleman’s role is sometimes overlooked because many classic cocktail histories focus on male bartenders.