Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg – How to Make It

Folklore has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would win over a touring English side. To secure an advantage, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are incredibly generous four-finger whisky servings, customarily measured from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the day after. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.

This Punjabi variation of old fashioned is inspired by that original beverage. Here, we present it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it more suitable for a household kitchen.

Patiala Peg

Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.

Ingredients

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

Instructions

Place everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about three weeks.

For serving, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.