Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Squid Mixes: Hanky Panky

A hanky panky combines gin and sweet vermouth with a couple dashes of Frenet Branca, a bitter Italian digestivo, orange peel garnish.  It was invented by Ada Coleman, head bartender at the London Savoy Hotel at the turn of the 20th century.  My recipe came from a new book for me: 3-Ingredient Cocktails by Robert Simonson.

3-Ingredient Cocktails has a beautifully simple premise.  Simonson asserts that the best cocktails are based on an old-fashioned formula: base liquor, sweetener and bitter.  Ice and garnishes don't count against the three ingredients.  It's a stunning book with exquisite photography.  Simonsen also provides lots of cocktail history, unfortunately not always accurate.  He mistakenly listed the inventor of the Hanky Panky as Ada Calhoun.  We certainly enjoyed the drink.

However, I was hoping for a book that emphasized simple ingredients as well as simple recipes.  Frenet Branca is a little on the exotic side.  It was only by luck that we had a bottle in the cabinet.  He even occasionally goes so far as to list specific brands.  I'm not above substituting, of course, and the book might provide inspiration when we are inclined to explore above the lower middle shelves at the liquor store.  I was just expecting something different.

12 comments:

  1. I hope the drink was good. Sad that the book is not that accurate.

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    1. The drink was lovely. His slip made me curious. There is an Ada Calhoun, a New York-based journalist and author. I wonder if either Simonson or the publisher knows her.

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  2. Glad you enjoyed the drink. Sounds like it would be tasty. I don't think I have ever tried Frenet Branca. Weird that a mistake got past the copy editors- but maybe it was a typo that slipped past them. :)
    ~Jess

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    1. Even copy editors are not infallible.

      I don't know if I'd ever tried the Frenet Branca before myself. Quite bitter.

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  3. I'm going to have to pick up one of these books one of these days.

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    1. The New York Bartender's Guide is probably a better one to start with - more drinks and more generic ingredients. This is a good one for when you want to refine a bit.

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  4. I had 3 ingredient recipes for several dinners that were so good. this was 20 years ago, she was an Italian Chef. I used to make her pumpkin soup all the time.

    cheers, parsnip and badger

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    1. Same principle, really. Most classic dishes aren't complicated, either.

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  5. Oh my! I'm all for the hanky panky! I was in Spain and tried so many of their drinks. Aqua de Valencia, Jinga, and Sangria to name a few.

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  6. Gee, I might have to get myself a copy of this book!

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