Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – Recipe

Folklore has it that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would win over a touring English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger whisky pours, historically poured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely hungover and, consequently, vanquished the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.

This inspired kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original drink. Here, we offer it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it easier for a home setting.

Patiala Peg

Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

Ingredients

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

Method

Place everything in a big container. Pour in 130g water, mix thoroughly, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for up to three weeks.

For serving, dispense roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy promptly. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.