Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe

Legend has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a grand party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger whisky servings, traditionally measured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, inevitably, defeated the following day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.

This take on a variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original beverage. At the restaurant, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.

You Will Need

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

Method

Combine everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for about 21 days.

For serving, measure out approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.