Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English side. For a competitive edge, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger whisky servings, customarily poured from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, beaten the following day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from Singh's drink. In our establishment, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it better suited for a household kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Combine everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to three weeks.
To serve, dispense about 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass filled with ice (ideally one big block). Drink straight away. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
