Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a visiting English side. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are incredibly large four-finger whisky servings, traditionally gauged from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them very the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the next day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This take on a variation of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it easier for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Place everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to three weeks.
For serving, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
