Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he organized a grand party the night before the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger whisky pours, customarily measured from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, leaving them very the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the next day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's concoction. Here, we offer it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it better suited for a household kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1â…“ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about â…• tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Place everything in a big container. Pour in 130g water, mix thoroughly, then place it in the fridge. It will now keep for about 21 days.
For serving, measure out roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass filled with ice (preferably one large cube). Serve immediately. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
