Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would win over a visiting English side. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally measured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the next day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original beverage. In our establishment, we serve it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, stir thoroughly, then place it in the fridge. You can store it for about 21 days.
To serve, measure out roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (preferably one large cube). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
