Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore suggests that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English side. For a competitive edge, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger whisky pours, traditionally gauged from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, consequently, defeated the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's drink. In our establishment, we offer it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it more suitable for a home environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Put everything in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for about a few weeks.
When ready to drink, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Drink straight away. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
