Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would triumph over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily gauged from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the day after. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by that original concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it better suited for a household kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the fridge. You can store it for as long as 21 days.
For serving, pour approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve straight away. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
