Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally poured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, leaving them very hungover and, inevitably, beaten the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired spin on the old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's drink. Here, we present it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it better suited for a household environment.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Combine everything in a big container. Include 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the fridge. It can be stored for about 21 days.
When ready to drink, dispense roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve immediately. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
