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

Tale claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would triumph over a touring English squad. For a competitive edge, he hosted a splendid party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, historically gauged from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, leaving them very hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the day after. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.

This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by Singh's beverage. Here, we offer it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it better suited for a household setting.

Patiala Peg

Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.

What's Required

• 725g blended Scotch
• 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
• 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
• A dash of salt
• 2g xanthan gum powder

Preparation

Place everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to three weeks.

When ready to drink, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Drink promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.