Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a visiting English squad. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily gauged from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from the Maharaja's beverage. In our establishment, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it easier for a household environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about 21 days.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
