  We present optical spectroscopy of the 12th-mag central star of the planetary
nebula (PN) Patchick 27 (Pa 27), obtained during a survey of faint PN nuclei
(PNNi) with the Low-Resolution Spectrograph (LRS2) of the Hobby-Eberly
Telescope. The optical spectrum of Pa 27 is that of a K0 III red giant with
rotationally broadened lines. However, the star is detected in the
near-ultraviolet (near-UV) with GALEX, showing that a hot binary component is
also present. The spectral-energy distribution from the near-UV to the
mid-infrared can be fitted with a combination of the K0 III giant and a hot PNN
with an effective temperature of about 50,000 K. Photometric observations of Pa
27, both ground-based and from TESS, show a low-amplitude sinusoidal variation
with a period of 7.36 days, probably due to starspots on a rotating and
magnetically active cool giant. Pa 27 is a new member of the rare class of
"Abell 35-type central stars," which are binary PNNi consisting of a spotted
late-type star and a hot pre-white dwarf. They are likely the result of a
situation where an AGB star ejects its outer layers in a dense wind, part of
which is captured by a distant companion, spinning up its rotation by accretion
of material and angular momentum. We suggest several useful follow-up
observations.
