Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore has it that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would win over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he organized a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger whisky servings, historically gauged from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the day after. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's beverage. At the restaurant, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it more suitable for a household environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, agitate to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for about three weeks.
When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Serve immediately. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
