Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would win over a touring English team. To gain the upper hand, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally poured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from the Maharaja's concoction. At the restaurant, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it easier for a domestic setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place everything in a big container. Include 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for as long as 21 days.
For serving, dispense approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Drink straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
