Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his team would triumph over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were incredibly large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally gauged from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired variation of old fashioned is inspired by that original drink. In our establishment, we serve it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it better suited for a domestic setting.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Place everything in a big container. Add 130g water, stir to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for as long as a few weeks.
For serving, pour about 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.