Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore has it that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English squad. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, historically gauged from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by that original drink. In our establishment, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it easier for a domestic kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to 21 days.
For serving, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Serve immediately. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
