Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe

Legend suggests that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, historically poured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.

This inspired variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's concoction. In our establishment, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it more suitable for a home environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.

Ingredients

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

Instructions

Put everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, mix to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to three weeks.

When ready to drink, measure out approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Serve promptly. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.