Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend suggests that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English squad. For a competitive edge, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously generous four-finger whisky pours, traditionally poured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them very the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the day after. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's beverage. In our establishment, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it better suited for a household environment.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, mix thoroughly, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for about 21 days.
For serving, pour approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Drink immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
