Cocktail of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe

Folklore suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky servings, historically gauged from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.

This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by that original drink. Here, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it better suited for a household setting.

Patiala Peg

Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.

Ingredients

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

Method

Combine everything in a big container. Include 130g water, mix thoroughly, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for up to three weeks.

For serving, dispense approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy immediately. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.