Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe

Folklore suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would win over a touring English team. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were incredibly large four-finger measure whisky servings, historically measured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them very hungover and, consequently, beaten the following day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.

This inspired spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from that original drink. In our establishment, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it better suited for a household setting.

Patiala Peg

Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

What's Required

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

Preparation

Put everything in a big container. Include 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the fridge. It can be stored for about 21 days.

To serve, pour approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one big block). Drink straight away. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.