Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore claims that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his team would succeed over a visiting English side. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, historically gauged from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the next day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. In our establishment, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it better suited for a household kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put everything in a big container. Add 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about 21 days.
For serving, dispense about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (ideally one big block). Serve immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
