Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would win over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally gauged from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, inevitably, beaten the next day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a variation of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a domestic setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, stir to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. It can be stored for as long as three weeks.
For serving, pour about 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
