Drink This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend suggests that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, historically poured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the day after. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it easier for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Add 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for about a few weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Drink straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
