Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily measured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely hungover and, consequently, defeated the following day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we present it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it better suited for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Combine everything in a big container. Add 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for about 21 days.
To serve, pour approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve straight away. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
