Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally poured from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very hungover and, inevitably, beaten the following day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we serve it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a household kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Combine everything in a big container. Include 130g water, mix thoroughly, then place it in the fridge. You can store it for as long as three weeks.
For serving, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Drink immediately. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.
