Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Tale claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would triumph over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily measured from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's drink. At the restaurant, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it more suitable for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, agitate to combine, then place it in the fridge. It will now keep for up to 21 days.
To serve, measure out roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Serve promptly. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
