Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would win over a touring English side. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were incredibly large four-finger whisky servings, traditionally poured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the day after. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from that original drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it better suited for a domestic setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Combine everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, agitate to combine, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for about 21 days.
When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy promptly. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
