Atta Girl
Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.
I recently spotted a reference to the Dickensian Villain, and I recalled how well Fernet Branca and grenadine paired there and in other drinks. The ingredient duo made me think of two gin drinks from the Savoy Cocktail Book, namely the Hanky Panky with Fernet and the Atta Boy with grenadine, and I wanted to see what a mash up would yield. For a name, I figured that it ought to be a tribute to the Hanky Panky creator, Ada Coleman, so I dubbed this one the Atta Girl.
- Lively fruitiness. Fernet adds complexity but doesn’t take over.
- Spanky Panky Martini — Gin, Sweet vermouth, Fernet Branca, Mint
- The Prestidigitator — Gin, Sweet vermouth, Madeira, Orange bitters, Cherry
- Hanky Panky — Gin, Sweet vermouth, Fernet Branca, Orange peel
- Martinez (Dry Variation) — Old Tom Gin, Dry vermouth, Maraschino Liqueur, Orange bitters
- Gin and It — Gin, Sweet vermouth, Bitters, Orange peel
It's a Fred cocktail so by definition should be pretty good - and it is. I had doubts about the volume of Grenadine, but it balances well with the Fernet. However, my initial taste, pre-orange, strongly suggested Campari! Have we discovered the secret recipe?
Thank you for the kind words & cheers! Too much grenadine for flavor or for sweetness? As for flavor, it combined with the sweet vermouth to make a rounder red fruit note that I find in Dubonnet and Byrhh. As for the sweetness, 3 parts dry vermouth to 1 part 1:1 syrup such as grenadine has the same sugar level as blanc vermouth (but just below that of many sweet vermouths), so it works well. I've used that trick to make a "celery blanc vermouth" (3 parts dry vermouth to 1 part celery syrup (1 part celery juice:1 part sugar)) for one menu item at work. Fernet does have citrus elements but usually you can't find them (just like vermouths have citrus elements lurking).
