Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a visiting English squad. 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 were incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally poured from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the following day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired kind-of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it easier for a domestic setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Combine everything in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, mix thoroughly, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about three weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Drink straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
