Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would win over a touring English side. To secure an advantage, he threw a grand party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are incredibly large four-finger whisky pours, historically poured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the following day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's beverage. In our establishment, we offer it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Place everything in a big container. Add 130g water, mix to combine, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for up to three weeks.
When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
