Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, historically gauged from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the day after. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a variation of old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's concoction. Here, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it better suited for a domestic 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 (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Place everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to three weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Serve immediately. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
