Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would succeed over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he hosted a splendid party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, historically gauged from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a kind-of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's beverage. Here, we present it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it easier for a home kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Place everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, mix to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about a few weeks.
To serve, dispense roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy immediately. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand instead.
