Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe

Folklore suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would triumph over a touring English side. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger whisky pours, traditionally measured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly hungover and, consequently, beaten the next day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.

This take on a kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original beverage. Here, we serve it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it easier for a household setting.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.

You Will Need

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

Preparation

Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for up to three weeks.

For serving, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Drink immediately. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.