Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his team would win over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a grand party the night before the match, where he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are famously large four-finger whisky pours, historically measured from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the following day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. Here, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it easier for a domestic environment.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Place everything in a big container. Add 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about a few weeks.
To serve, pour about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass containing ice (ideally one large cube). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
