Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore suggests that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger whisky servings, historically poured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, defeated the next day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from that original beverage. In our establishment, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it easier for a home kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for up to three weeks.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Serve immediately. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
