Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore suggests that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would triumph over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger whisky servings, traditionally gauged from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them very the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the day after. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired variation of old fashioned takes its cue from the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it more suitable for a domestic setting.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Put everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for as long as three weeks.
To serve, dispense roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
