Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously generous four-finger whisky servings, historically poured from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely hungover and, consequently, beaten the following day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired spin on the old fashioned is inspired by Singh's beverage. Here, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it more suitable for a domestic kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Add 130g water, stir to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to 21 days.
To serve, measure out roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Drink promptly. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
