Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger whisky servings, traditionally poured from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, beaten the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from that original concoction. In our establishment, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it easier for a household environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put everything in a big container. Pour in 130g water, mix to combine, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to 21 days.
When ready to drink, measure out approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (ideally one large cube). Serve immediately. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
