Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would triumph over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, where he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly large four-finger whisky servings, traditionally gauged from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them very the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the day after. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original drink. In our establishment, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a household kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a big container. Pour in 130g water, stir thoroughly, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for as long as 21 days.
When ready to drink, measure out about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass packed with ice (ideally one large cube). Enjoy straight away. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
