Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Tale suggests that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would succeed over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are famously large four-finger whisky servings, historically poured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, vanquished the day after. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original drink. At the restaurant, we offer it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it easier for a household setting.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1â…“ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about â…• tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place everything in a big container. Add 130g water, stir to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as 21 days.
When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
