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

Folklore claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English side. To secure an advantage, he hosted a grand party the night before the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger whisky servings, customarily gauged from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the next day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.

This Punjabi spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's drink. Here, we offer it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a household kitchen.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

What's Required

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

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then place it in the fridge. You can store it for about three weeks.

For serving, measure out roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.