Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would succeed over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he hosted a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are famously substantial four-finger whisky servings, historically poured from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, defeated the day after. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired variation of old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's concoction. In our establishment, we offer it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a household environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Put all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to 21 days.
For serving, measure out about 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass containing ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
