Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend has it that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would succeed over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he organized a lavish party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger whisky pours, historically poured from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, leaving them extremely hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired spin on the old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's beverage. Here, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it more suitable for a domestic setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place everything in a big container. Add 130g water, agitate to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to a few weeks.
For serving, measure out approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Serve promptly. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
