Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg ā How to Make It
Tale has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously large four-finger whisky servings, traditionally measured from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the day after. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1ā tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ā tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for as long as a few weeks.
To serve, measure out approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
