Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, where he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, historically poured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the next day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a variation of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's beverage. Here, we present it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it easier for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, mix to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to a few weeks.
To serve, dispense about 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve straight away. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.