Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger whisky servings, customarily poured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, defeated the next day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's beverage. Here, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a home setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, stir to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for about three weeks.
To serve, measure out approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
