Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would triumph over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger whisky pours, historically gauged from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, inevitably, defeated the following day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. In our establishment, we offer it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it better suited for a household environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Place everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, mix to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to three weeks.
To serve, dispense approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy immediately. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
