Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe

Tale claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would succeed over a visiting English team. To gain the upper hand, he organized a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are famously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally gauged from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, defeated the next day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.

This inspired spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by the Maharaja's concoction. Here, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it more suitable for a household environment.

Patiala Peg

Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.

You Will Need

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

Method

Combine everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then place it in the fridge. It can be stored for as long as a few weeks.

When ready to drink, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Enjoy straight away. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.