Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend has it that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would succeed over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger whisky pours, customarily poured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them terribly hungover and, consequently, beaten the day after. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by that original concoction. In our establishment, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it better suited for a domestic setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a big container. Include 130g water, mix to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to a few weeks.
For serving, measure out roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
