Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would succeed over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he threw a lavish party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger whisky servings, traditionally poured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, inevitably, beaten the following day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from that original drink. In our establishment, we offer it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it more suitable for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put all the ingredients in a large bottle. Add 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for as long as a few weeks.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy immediately. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
