Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend suggests that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English team. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are famously generous four-finger whisky pours, traditionally measured from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the day after. And so, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a kind-of old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's concoction. In our establishment, we present it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it more suitable for a home kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Put everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as three weeks.
For serving, dispense approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
