Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, historically measured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the following day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's drink. Here, we present it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it better suited for a household setting.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1â…“ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about â…• tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, stir to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. You can store it for about a few weeks.
For serving, dispense approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy promptly. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
