Drink for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe

Tale suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally poured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly hungover and, consequently, beaten the following day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.

This take on a variation of old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's beverage. In our establishment, we offer it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it better suited for a household environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.

You Will Need

• 725g blended scotch whisky
• 130g simple syrup
• 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
• A small pinch of salt
• 2g xanthan gum powder

Preparation

Put everything in a big container. Pour in 130g water, mix thoroughly, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to three weeks.

When ready to drink, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.