Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale suggests that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would win over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, historically gauged from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, defeated the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's concoction. Here, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it more suitable for a household kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Combine everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, mix thoroughly, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for as long as a few weeks.
When ready to drink, dispense about 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass containing ice (ideally one large cube). Serve straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.