Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It

Legend has it that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would succeed over a visiting English side. To gain the upper hand, he threw a grand party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were famously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, historically gauged from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the following day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg originated.

This inspired kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by that original beverage. Here, we present it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a home kitchen.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.

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

Place everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, stir 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 rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Serve straight away. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.