Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Tale claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he hosted a grand party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger whisky servings, customarily gauged from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the following day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from that original drink. In our establishment, we present it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it easier for a household environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, stir to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about three weeks.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy immediately. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
