Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would win over a touring English side. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily poured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them very hungover and, consequently, vanquished the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's beverage. In our establishment, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it more suitable for a household kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place everything in a big container. Add 130g water, mix thoroughly, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for up to three weeks.
For serving, dispense approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy immediately. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
