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

Tale suggests that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would triumph over a visiting English squad. To secure an advantage, he organized a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously generous four-finger whisky pours, historically poured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the following day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.

This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by Singh's beverage. Here, we serve it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it easier for a home environment.

Patiala Peg

Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

What's Required

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

Instructions

Put everything in a big container. Add 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then transfer it in the fridge. You can store it for about a few weeks.

For serving, measure out roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.