Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would succeed over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger whisky pours, customarily poured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly hungover and, consequently, defeated the next day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a spin on the old fashioned is inspired by that original beverage. Here, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it more suitable for a household environment.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Place everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to 21 days.
For serving, dispense roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
