Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally gauged from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the following day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's concoction. In our establishment, we serve it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it easier for a domestic setting.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to three weeks.
To serve, dispense roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass containing ice (ideally one big block). Enjoy promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
