Cocktail of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would succeed over a touring English squad. For a competitive edge, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were incredibly large four-finger whisky pours, historically measured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, beaten the day after. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from that original concoction. At the restaurant, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, mix thoroughly, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for up to a few weeks.
When ready to drink, pour roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Drink straight away. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
