Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would succeed over a visiting English side. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a splendid party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger whisky pours, customarily measured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the following day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's beverage. Here, we present it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it better suited for a home environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Put all the ingredients in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, mix to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about three weeks.
For serving, pour about 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 use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
