Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale has it that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would win over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he threw a lavish party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, historically measured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, defeated the following day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This take on a spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from that original drink. In our establishment, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it easier for a home setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a large bottle. Add 130g water, stir thoroughly, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to 21 days.
For serving, dispense roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one big block). Drink immediately. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
