Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe

Folklore has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English side. For a competitive edge, he hosted a grand party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger measure whisky servings, historically poured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.

This inspired kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it more suitable for a household environment.

Patiala Peg

Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.

You Will Need

• 725g blended scotch whisky
• 130g simple syrup
• 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
• A pinch of salt
• 2g xanthan gum

Method

Put everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the fridge. You can store it for as long as a few weeks.

When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Serve straight away. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure instead.