Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It

Folklore suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he organized a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger whisky pours, historically gauged from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them very the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the next day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.

This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by Singh's drink. Here, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it better suited for a domestic setting.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

What's Required

• 725g Scotch whisky blend
• 130g sugar syrup
• 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
• A pinch of salt
• 2g xanthan gum powder

Preparation

Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, agitate to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to a few weeks.

To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Enjoy promptly. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers instead.