Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend has it that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would triumph over a touring English side. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a grand party the night before the match, where he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly large four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily measured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them very the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned is inspired by that original drink. In our establishment, we offer it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it better suited for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 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
Preparation
Combine everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, mix to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to a few weeks.
For serving, dispense approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
