Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would win over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally poured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the day after. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. Here, we offer it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it easier for a domestic setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for about three weeks.
For serving, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Enjoy straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
