Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his team would succeed over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he threw a grand party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger whisky servings, historically gauged from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Put everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for as long as 21 days.
To serve, measure out approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass packed with ice (preferably one big block). Serve immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
