Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger whisky pours, customarily poured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by the Maharaja's concoction. Here, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a home setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Place everything in a big container. Add 130g water, mix to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to 21 days.
For serving, measure out roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Serve straight away. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
