Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would win over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily poured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the next day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from Singh's beverage. Here, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it better suited for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Put everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to 21 days.
When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass containing ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy promptly. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
