Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would triumph over a visiting English squad. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously large four-finger whisky servings, historically gauged from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, consequently, defeated the next day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's concoction. In our establishment, we present it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it more suitable for a household environment.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in a big container. Add 130g water, mix to combine, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for as long as three weeks.
When ready to drink, dispense approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Drink immediately. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
