Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would win over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily gauged from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the following day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. Here, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it more suitable for a domestic setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Combine everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for about a few weeks.
For serving, measure out about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Drink straight away. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.
