Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe

Legend claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would win over a touring English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, where he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger whisky servings, customarily poured from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the day after. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.

This inspired variation of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's beverage. In our establishment, we serve it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it easier for a domestic kitchen.

Patiala Peg

Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.

You Will Need

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

Method

Place everything in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then place it in the fridge. You can store it for about a few weeks.

When ready to drink, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.