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

Tale claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a touring English side. To gain the upper hand, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly substantial four-finger whisky servings, historically gauged from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg originated.

This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from that original drink. At the restaurant, we serve it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it more suitable for a domestic kitchen.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.

You Will Need

• 725g blended Scotch
• 130g sugar syrup
• 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
• A dash of salt
• 2g xanthan gum

Preparation

Place all the ingredients in a big container. Pour in 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about 21 days.

When ready to drink, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.