Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Tale suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. For a competitive edge, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were incredibly substantial four-finger whisky pours, traditionally poured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, leaving them very the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the following day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from that original concoction. In our establishment, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it more suitable for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put everything in a big container. Include 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for as long as a few weeks.
To serve, pour approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (ideally one big block). Enjoy straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
