Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would win over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally measured from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, beaten the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. Here, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it better suited for a home kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Place everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about three weeks.
For serving, dispense roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Drink straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
