Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would succeed over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, historically measured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This take on a kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original concoction. Here, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it easier for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the fridge. It will now keep for up to a few weeks.
To serve, measure out approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy straight away. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
