Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would triumph over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly substantial four-finger whisky servings, customarily measured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly hungover and, consequently, defeated the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by Singh's concoction. Here, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for about a few weeks.
To serve, measure out about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Serve immediately. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
