Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would win over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously substantial four-finger whisky pours, customarily gauged from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the following day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's beverage. At the restaurant, we serve it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it more suitable for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put everything in a big container. Include 130g water, mix to combine, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for about a few weeks.
To serve, measure out about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy promptly. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.
