Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would succeed over a touring English side. For a competitive edge, he threw a grand party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally poured from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original beverage. Here, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it better suited for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1â…“ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about â…• tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Place everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for about 21 days.
For serving, measure out about 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Enjoy immediately. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
