Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore has it that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are famously generous four-finger whisky pours, traditionally poured from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, consequently, defeated the following day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's concoction. In our establishment, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it better suited for a domestic setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Place everything in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for up to three weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Drink straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
