Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would win over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger whisky servings, traditionally measured from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the next day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's beverage. Here, we present it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it better suited for a household kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Combine everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the fridge. You can store it for about 21 days.
To serve, measure out about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass containing ice (ideally one large cube). Serve straight away. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
