Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would win over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily poured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's beverage. At the restaurant, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it better suited for a household kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for as long as three weeks.
When ready to drink, dispense approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
