Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Legend suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously generous four-finger whisky servings, traditionally measured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely hungover and, consequently, beaten the day after. And so, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by Singh's concoction. Here, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it more suitable for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Combine everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, mix to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for about a few weeks.
For serving, dispense about 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy promptly. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.