Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale has it that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would win over a visiting English side. For a competitive edge, he hosted a grand party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger whisky servings, traditionally poured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, beaten the day after. And so, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a variation of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's concoction. Here, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it more suitable for a home environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for about three weeks.
To serve, measure out roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
