Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would triumph over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he organized a lavish party the night before the match, where he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally measured from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original concoction. At the restaurant, we serve it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it more suitable for a home kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Put everything in a big container. Add 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to 21 days.
For serving, measure out roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy immediately. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
