Drink This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would triumph over a visiting English team. To gain the upper hand, he organized a lavish party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily measured from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them very the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it easier for a home setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in a big container. Pour in 130g water, agitate to combine, then place it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to 21 days.
For serving, measure out roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (ideally one big block). Enjoy immediately. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
