Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a splendid party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger whisky servings, historically measured from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's drink. In our establishment, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it easier for a domestic environment.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, mix to combine, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as 21 days.
To serve, measure out approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Drink promptly. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
