Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he hosted a splendid party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are famously substantial four-finger whisky servings, customarily poured from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely hungover and, consequently, beaten the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by the Maharaja's concoction. In our establishment, we serve it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it more suitable for a home kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Place everything in a big container. Add 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for up to a few weeks.
To serve, measure out about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Drink straight away. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
