Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would triumph over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger whisky pours, historically measured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, leaving them extremely hungover and, consequently, defeated the day after. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's concoction. In our establishment, we offer it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it more suitable for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as 21 days.
When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Serve immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
