Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale has it that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would triumph over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he hosted a grand party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously substantial four-finger whisky servings, traditionally poured from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the following day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by the Maharaja's concoction. Here, we offer it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it better suited for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate to combine, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for about a few weeks.
When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Drink immediately. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
