Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would triumph over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he hosted a grand party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger whisky pours, customarily gauged from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a variation of old fashioned is inspired by that original drink. Here, we offer it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it better suited for a household environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put everything in a big container. Include 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to three weeks.
For serving, pour approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass containing ice (ideally one large cube). Enjoy promptly. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
