Legend has it that in 1920 Bhupinder Singh, the maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English team. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a grand party the night before the match at which he served his guests Patiala pegs, famously generous four-finger whisky pours traditionally measured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, leaving them very hungover and, inevitably, defeated the next day, and the legend of the Patiala peg was born. This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned is inspired by Singh’s drink. At the restaurant, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we’ve adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.
Patiala peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12
725g blended scotch whisky – we use Johnnie Walker Black Label
130g sugar syrup
6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
A pinch of salt
2g xanthan gum
Put everything in a large bottle or jug, add 130g water, stir to combine, then put in the fridge, where it will now keep for up to three weeks.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml Patiala peg into a rocks glass filled with ice (we use one big block), and serve – if you’re feeling traditional, measure it in by hand instead.