Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe

Tale suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English side. For a competitive edge, he organized a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily poured from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.

This inspired kind-of old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's concoction. Here, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it easier for a household kitchen.

Patiala Peg

Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.

You Will Need

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

Preparation

Put everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, stir thoroughly, then place it in the fridge. It can be stored for as long as 21 days.

When ready to drink, measure out approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass containing ice (ideally one large cube). Drink promptly. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.