Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally gauged from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the following day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by the Maharaja's drink. Here, we present it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a household setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the fridge. It can be stored for about 21 days.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Serve immediately. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
