Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a touring English side. To gain the upper hand, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly generous four-finger whisky pours, customarily poured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, vanquished the day after. And so, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we serve it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it more suitable for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, mix thoroughly, then place it in the fridge. You can store it for as long as 21 days.
For serving, measure out approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
