Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English side. To gain the upper hand, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, historically measured from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, leaving them terribly hungover and, consequently, vanquished the following day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's beverage. In our establishment, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it more suitable for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, mix to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to a few weeks.
For serving, pour about 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve immediately. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
