Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would succeed over a touring English side. To secure an advantage, he organized a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally gauged from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the next day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's beverage. Here, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it easier for a home kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Combine everything in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, mix thoroughly, then transfer it in the fridge. You can store it for up to 21 days.
To serve, dispense roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
