Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he organized a lavish party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are incredibly large four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily measured from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them very hungover and, consequently, defeated the day after. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired variation of old fashioned takes its cue from the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we offer it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it easier for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Pour in 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for as long as 21 days.
To serve, pour approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Serve immediately. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
