Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would win over a touring English side. To gain the upper hand, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly large four-finger whisky servings, traditionally poured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely hungover and, consequently, beaten the next day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it better suited for a household environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, stir thoroughly, then put it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for up to a few weeks.
To serve, pour about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Drink straight away. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
