Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe

Tale has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a touring English side. For a competitive edge, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily poured from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the following day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.

This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. In our establishment, we serve it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it more suitable for a home kitchen.

Patiala Peg

Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.

What's Required

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

Method

Place everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then place it in the fridge. It will now keep for up to three weeks.

To serve, pour approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Serve promptly. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers instead.