Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English side. To secure an advantage, he hosted a splendid party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger whisky pours, customarily poured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them very hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's drink. In our establishment, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it more suitable for a household kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 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
Instructions
Place everything in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then place it in the fridge. You can store it for up to three weeks.
For serving, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass containing ice (ideally one big block). Drink promptly. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
