Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It

Folklore claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would triumph over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he threw a grand party the night before the match, where he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky pours, historically measured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg was born.

This inspired spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we present it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it more suitable for a home setting.

Patiala Peg

Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.

What's Required

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

Method

Put all the ingredients in a big container. Include 130g water, mix to combine, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for as long as 21 days.

When ready to drink, dispense about 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.