Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It

Folklore claims that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would win over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger whisky pours, historically gauged from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, inevitably, defeated the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg originated.

This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we present it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a home environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

You Will Need

• 725g Scotch whisky blend
• 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
• 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
• A pinch of salt
• 2g xanthan gum

Instructions

Place everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, mix thoroughly, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to 21 days.

To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass filled with ice (ideally one big block). Serve straight away. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.