Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English side. For a competitive edge, he organized a grand party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally gauged from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the following day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original beverage. Here, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Put everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, mix to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to 21 days.
For serving, pour about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
