Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger whisky servings, traditionally gauged from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's concoction. In our establishment, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it more suitable for a home setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to 21 days.
To serve, measure out roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve immediately. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.
