Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Legend suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would win over a touring English side. For a competitive edge, he organized a grand party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger whisky pours, historically gauged from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, leaving them very hungover and, inevitably, beaten the day after. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it more suitable for a household setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Put everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, mix thoroughly, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for as long as 21 days.
When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.