Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would triumph over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he organized a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger whisky pours, traditionally poured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very hungover and, inevitably, defeated the next day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it better suited for a domestic environment.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a big container. Add 130g water, mix thoroughly, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as 21 days.
When ready to drink, measure out about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Drink straight away. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
