Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale claims that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket 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 presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger whisky pours, customarily poured from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired variation of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's drink. At the restaurant, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it easier for a domestic setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, mix thoroughly, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about three weeks.
For serving, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy immediately. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
