Drink of the Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe

Folklore suggests that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily gauged from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them very the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the next day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.

This inspired spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from the Maharaja's beverage. At the restaurant, we serve it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it more suitable for a home setting.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.

You Will Need

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

Instructions

Put everything in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, mix to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. You can store it for as long as a few weeks.

To serve, dispense roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice (ideally one big block). Enjoy immediately. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand as they did.

Dylan Zhang
Dylan Zhang

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casinos, specializing in slot machine strategies and player psychology.