Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would win over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger whisky servings, historically poured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the following day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it better suited for a domestic environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Include 130g water, stir to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for as long as three weeks.
To serve, measure out approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy immediately. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure instead.