Cocktail for This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe

Tale claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would win over a touring English side. For a competitive edge, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, historically gauged from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the following day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.

This Punjabi variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it easier for a household environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.

Ingredients

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

Instructions

Place all the ingredients in a big container. Pour in 130g water, stir thoroughly, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for as long as 21 days.

For serving, pour about 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one big block). Serve immediately. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.