Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would win over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger measure whisky servings, historically poured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, leaving them very the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired variation of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's beverage. Here, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it better suited for a domestic kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Place all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for up to a few weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy promptly. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
