Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would succeed over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky servings, historically poured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, beaten the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from that original concoction. At the restaurant, we serve it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it more suitable for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put everything in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then transfer it in the fridge. You can store it for about three weeks.
When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy immediately. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
