Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe

Legend has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would win over a visiting English side. To gain the upper hand, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger measure whisky servings, historically measured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.

This take on a spin on the old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's drink. Here, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it easier for a domestic setting.

Patiala Peg

Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.

What's Required

• 725g blended Scotch
• 130g simple syrup
• 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
• A dash of salt
• 2g xanthan gum

Instructions

Combine everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, mix thoroughly, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to 21 days.

When ready to drink, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Enjoy immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.