Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend suggests that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would succeed over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he hosted a grand party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, historically gauged from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the day after. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it better suited for a domestic setting.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for about a few weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Serve promptly. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.