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

Folklore claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would win over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he organized a lavish party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally poured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, beaten the day after. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.

This inspired spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by that original concoction. In our establishment, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a domestic setting.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.

What's Required

• 725g blended scotch whisky
• 130g sugar syrup
• 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
• A small pinch of salt
• 2g xanthan gum powder

Instructions

Put all the ingredients in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, mix thoroughly, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as three weeks.

When ready to drink, pour approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Drink straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand as they did.