Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe

Folklore claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would triumph over a visiting English side. For a competitive edge, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally poured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, consequently, defeated the day after. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.

This Punjabi spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's beverage. Here, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it easier for a household kitchen.

Patiala Peg

Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.

You Will Need

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

Preparation

Put everything in a big container. Pour in 130g water, stir to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about 21 days.

To serve, dispense about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.