Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Legend has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily gauged from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them very the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the following day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original concoction. In our establishment, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it better suited for a home setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a big container. Add 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to three weeks.
For serving, pour about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
