Legend suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. For a competitive edge, he threw a lavish party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, historically poured from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, vanquished the following day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's drink. At the restaurant, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it better suited for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Put everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about a few weeks.
For serving, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Drink immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
