Cocktail This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe

Legend has it that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would succeed over a visiting English squad. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally measured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the following day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.

This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it better suited for a household environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.

You Will Need

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

Preparation

Combine everything in a big container. Include 130g water, mix to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to a few weeks.

To serve, dispense roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Drink immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.