monkey business

1 1/2 oz Gin (Bombay Dry)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Lacuesta Rojo)
1/4 oz Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Wednesdays ago, I was still thinking about the Banana Toronto that I had included in my year-end wrap up of best drinks. When I had that drink over the summer, I did wonder what the addition of banana liqueur would be like in one of my favorite Fernet Branca drinks – the Hanky Panky. Therefore, I finally decided to act on that curiosity and make one. I dubbed it after a synonym for the Hanky Panky, namely Monkey Business (despite there being a Painkiller-like drink of that name already).The Monkey Business swung to the nose with orange, fruity, and grape aromas. Next, the vermouth's grape filled the sip, and the swallow came through with gin, banana, and herbal-minty flavors. Overall, the crème de banane mellowed out the Fernet and took the edge off of the amaro.