Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore has it that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, where he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily gauged from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, beaten the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's beverage. Here, we offer it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it better suited for a domestic environment.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to three weeks.
When ready to drink, pour approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve straight away. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
