Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would succeed over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a splendid party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally gauged from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, leaving them very the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the following day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's beverage. At the restaurant, we present it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it better suited for a domestic kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Place everything in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for as long as a few weeks.
For serving, pour approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass packed with ice (ideally one large cube). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.
