Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe

Legend has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his team would succeed over a visiting English side. For a competitive edge, he hosted a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are incredibly large four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily poured from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.

This Punjabi variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's drink. At the restaurant, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a home kitchen.

Patiala Peg

Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.

What's Required

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

Preparation

Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. You can store it for up to a few weeks.

When ready to drink, dispense roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Serve straight away. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand as they did.