Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would succeed 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 famous Patiala pegs. These are famously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally measured from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the following day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by that original concoction. Here, we offer it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it better suited for a household kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Include 130g water, stir to combine, then place it in the fridge. You can store it for about 21 days.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass packed with ice (ideally one large cube). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
