Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English team. To gain the upper hand, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were incredibly large four-finger whisky servings, customarily gauged from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, beaten the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from that original drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it easier for a home environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Place everything in a big container. Pour in 130g water, stir to combine, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for up to three weeks.
When ready to drink, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Serve straight away. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.
