Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe

Tale has it that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would win over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he hosted a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily poured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, beaten the day after. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.

This take on a spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it better suited for a household environment.

Patiala Peg

Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

Ingredients

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

Method

Place everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, agitate to combine, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to a few weeks.

To serve, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy promptly. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.