Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Tale claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would triumph over a visiting English squad. To secure an advantage, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally poured from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the day after. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from that original drink. In our establishment, we offer it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it easier for a household setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1â…“ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately â…• tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Combine everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for as long as 21 days.
When ready to drink, pour approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Serve immediately. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
