Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would triumph over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he organized a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger whisky servings, customarily poured from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, vanquished the next day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original drink. In our establishment, we present it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it easier for a domestic kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Put everything in a big container. Pour in 130g water, stir thoroughly, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to three weeks.
For serving, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass containing ice (ideally one big block). Drink immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
