Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend suggests that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, historically gauged from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired spin on the old fashioned draws inspiration from that original beverage. Here, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it better suited for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Place everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for as long as three weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
