Hanky Panky once a year?
Sarah Miller joins in the latest drinks awareness day and mulls the benefits of similar global celebrations…
Have you ever considered scheduling your hanky panky? Spontaneity is all very well, but it’s important to carve out time for special moments too...
That’s certainly the opinion of the organisers behind the inaugural World Hanky Panky Day, held on March 25 this year to celebrate the classic Hanky Panky cocktail and its creator Ada Coleman, and to recognise women in the drinks industry. Coleman was Head Bartender at The Savoy’s American Bar in London from 1903 to 1926.
World Hanky Panky Day may be new, but awareness days are not. Within the drinks industry alone there are now over 100 themed days cluttering our calendars and newsfeeds, spanning everything from the serious Alcohol Awareness Week in July to the sillier International Pineapple Martini Day (June 26), alongside four weeks’ worth of days dedicated to whisk(e)y and my own month-long social media challenge #GinADayMay.
But what is the point of all these days? And can anyone really benefit from them?
“Drinks days work best when they are supported and driven by a united community within an industry, and facilitated by people who are passionate, understanding of the industry, and have genuine intentions,” says Paul Jackson, editor/founder of The Gin Guide and founder of World Rum Day and Australian Gin Day.
“World Hanky Panky Day may be new, but awareness days are not.”
“This can take a great amount of time to establish and coordinate... but it is the route to developing an event with authenticity, meaning, longevity and real benefit to the industry. Some drinks days were set up with the aim of commercial gain, and naturally these have largely not gained traction and have since fallen by the wayside.”
Jackson is also the current custodian of International Gin & Tonic Day (October 19), which was created in honour of Mary Edith Keyburn who passed away in 2010 aged 95 with a G&T at her side that had been smuggled into the hospital in a water bottle and served in a teacup.
World Gin Day (second Saturday in June) came about in a similarly organic way, founded by Neil Houston in 2009 simply to bring his friends together to drink gin. Now in the hands of ‘Gin Monkey’ (aka Emma Stokes) since 2013, it has evolved into a truly global celebration with events in over 30 countries worldwide and a social media reach surpassing 200 million.
According to Stokes, successful days have a clear purpose and should be free of financial motivation, as she notes: “...they lose their spirit if making money becomes the sole purpose”.
Timing is key too. World Martini Day, which launched in 2020, takes place a week after World Gin Day, and brands often choose to focus on just one. “If they were at different times of the year, there would be two ‘hooks’ to take advantage of,” points out Stokes.
Regardless of the specific day, it’s essential that any activation feels authentic and aligns with a brand’s identity. As key components of classic cocktails, it makes sense for Campari to partner with Negroni Week (September) and for Cointreau to embrace National Margarita Day (February 22) and both can expect a corresponding boost in sales.
Similarly, it’s crucial that engagement isn’t tokenistic or performative – a complaint often levelled at whisky brands on International Women’s Day – and reaches beyond the limits of social media to achieve real impact. To this end, English Whisky Week (18-26 April) encourages supporters to visit distilleries and attend in-person events.
Only time will tell whether or not World Hanky Panky Day becomes a firm fixture in our drinks diaries, but it’s certainly in capable hands with global drinks industry community Celebrate Her, and British brands Asterley Bros and Cygnet Gin at the helm. It got off to a cracking start this year with multiple events across the UK, including the official launch at The Savoy’s American Bar, where the story of the legendary cocktail started.
With the day also scheduled to coincide with Women’s History Month, World Hanky Panky Day promises to not only be an annual tribute to the past and the cocktail’s trailblazing creator, but an opportunity to look towards the future of women in the drinks industry too.
Sarah Miller is a UK-based spirits writer, judge and consultant.
ginadingding.com
