Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English side. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously substantial four-finger whisky pours, historically poured from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's beverage. Here, we offer it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it easier for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to 21 days.
For serving, measure out roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Drink promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
