Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend suggests that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly large four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily poured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely hungover and, inevitably, beaten the next day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from Singh's beverage. Here, we serve it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place everything in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. You can store it for about 21 days.
When ready to drink, measure out roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass filled with ice (preferably one large cube). Drink promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
