Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It

Legend has it that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would triumph over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he threw a grand party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger whisky pours, traditionally poured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg was born.

This take on a spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by that original drink. Here, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it more suitable for a domestic setting.

Patiala Peg

Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.

You Will Need

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

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as a few weeks.

For serving, dispense approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass filled with ice (ideally one big block). Serve straight away. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure instead.