Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English squad. To secure an advantage, he hosted a splendid party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger whisky pours, customarily measured from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the day after. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it more suitable for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1â…“ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately â…• tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place everything in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, stir to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about a few weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out about 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
