Cocktail of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English side. To gain the upper hand, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are famously substantial four-finger whisky pours, customarily gauged from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, vanquished the following day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original concoction. In our establishment, we offer it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it more suitable for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, stir thoroughly, then put it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for as long as a few weeks.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one large cube). Drink straight away. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
