Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English team. To gain the upper hand, he organized a lavish party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger whisky pours, traditionally measured from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very hungover and, inevitably, defeated the next day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's beverage. Here, we serve it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1â…“ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately â…• tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Combine everything in a big container. Include 130g water, mix thoroughly, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about a few weeks.
When ready to drink, dispense roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass filled with ice (ideally one big block). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
