Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe

Legend has it that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a touring English side. To gain the upper hand, he organized a grand party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally gauged from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely hungover and, consequently, beaten the next day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg originated.

This take on a variation of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's drink. In our establishment, we offer it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it more suitable for a household kitchen.

Patiala Peg

Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

You Will Need

• 725g blended Scotch
• 130g simple syrup
• 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
• A pinch of salt
• 2g xanthan gum

Method

Put all the ingredients in a big container. Add 130g water, mix to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about a few weeks.

To serve, dispense roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Serve immediately. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers instead.