Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English team. To gain the upper hand, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously generous four-finger whisky servings, customarily poured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the following day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's drink. At the restaurant, we serve it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it better suited for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for as long as 21 days.
When ready to drink, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass containing ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy promptly. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
