Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend claims that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his team would succeed over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally measured from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, defeated the day after. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's concoction. In our establishment, we offer it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it easier for a household setting.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Combine everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, agitate to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for as long as a few weeks.
For serving, dispense about 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy immediately. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
