Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Legend claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would triumph over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily poured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them very hungover and, inevitably, defeated the following day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from that original drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it better suited for a household setting.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for about 21 days.
To serve, pour about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one big block). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
