Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend suggests that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would succeed over a touring English side. For a competitive edge, he hosted a grand party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, historically measured from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, defeated the next day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from that original beverage. At the restaurant, we serve it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it better suited for a domestic setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1â…“ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about â…• tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put everything in a big container. Add 130g water, stir thoroughly, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for as long as a few weeks.
To serve, measure out about 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Serve immediately. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
