Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It

Legend has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a splendid party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger whisky servings, historically measured from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, leaving them very hungover and, consequently, defeated the day after. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.

This Punjabi variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it more suitable for a household environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

You Will Need

• 725g blended scotch whisky
• 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
• 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
• A dash of salt
• 2g xanthan gum

Preparation

Combine everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about a few weeks.

When ready to drink, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass containing ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve promptly. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.