Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would win over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he threw a grand party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally gauged from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, inevitably, beaten the next day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's concoction. In our establishment, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it more suitable for a domestic kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for as long as a few weeks.
When ready to drink, pour approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one large cube). Drink immediately. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
