Drink This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would succeed over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally gauged from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely hungover and, inevitably, beaten the next day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original beverage. In our establishment, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it more suitable for a home environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in a large bottle. Add 130g water, mix to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to a few weeks.
For serving, measure out about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass packed with ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
