Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe

Tale suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he hosted a grand party the night before the match, where he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally gauged from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them very hungover and, inevitably, beaten the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg was born.

This take on a spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's concoction. At the restaurant, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.

What's Required

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

Preparation

Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, mix to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for as long as a few weeks.

When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass containing ice (ideally one large cube). Serve immediately. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand as they did.