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

Legend claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, where he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger whisky servings, traditionally measured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the day after. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.

This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from Singh's beverage. At the restaurant, we present it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it better suited for a household kitchen.

Patiala Peg

Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

You Will Need

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

Instructions

Put everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for up to a few weeks.

To serve, dispense approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve immediately. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.