Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would succeed over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally poured from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely hungover and, inevitably, beaten the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original drink. In our establishment, we present it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it better suited for a domestic setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 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
Preparation
Put everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the fridge. It will now keep for up to a few weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Drink promptly. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
