Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend claims that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily poured from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, defeated the following day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by that original concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Add 130g water, stir thoroughly, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as 21 days.
When ready to drink, dispense roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Drink immediately. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
