Drink This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Legend has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would succeed over a visiting English side. For a competitive edge, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger whisky servings, traditionally gauged from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the following day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from that original concoction. Here, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it better suited for a household kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Place everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for about three weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass filled with ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand instead.
