Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a visiting English side. For a competitive edge, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, historically measured from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, consequently, beaten the following day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's drink. Here, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it more suitable for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Place everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, stir to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for as long as three weeks.
When ready to drink, dispense roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Drink promptly. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
