Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would triumph over a touring English team. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a grand party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly large four-finger whisky pours, customarily measured from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, inevitably, defeated the next day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This take on a kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it more suitable for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Pour in 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for as long as a few weeks.
To serve, dispense about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Drink promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
