Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend has it that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would succeed over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he organized a lavish party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily gauged from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them very the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned draws inspiration from that original drink. In our establishment, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it better suited for a domestic setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place everything in a big container. Pour in 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then place it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to three weeks.
To serve, dispense roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
