Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale suggests that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would win over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally gauged from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, beaten the next day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's concoction. In our establishment, we present it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it easier for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Include 130g water, stir to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about three weeks.
When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Drink straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
