Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore suggests that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a touring English side. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger whisky servings, historically measured from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original drink. Here, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it better suited for a household kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, stir thoroughly, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for as long as 21 days.
To serve, measure out approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass containing ice (ideally one big block). Drink immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
