Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend suggests that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would win over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, historically poured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a spin on the old fashioned is inspired by Singh's concoction. Here, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it more suitable for a home kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Place all the ingredients in a big container. Pour in 130g water, stir to combine, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for about a few weeks.
When ready to drink, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy immediately. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
