Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Tale has it that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English squad. To secure an advantage, he threw a grand party the night before the match, where he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger whisky servings, traditionally measured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, leaving them very the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the day after. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's beverage. Here, we serve it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it more suitable for a household kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Combine everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to 21 days.
To serve, measure out roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy promptly. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
