Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a touring English team. For a competitive edge, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily measured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, leaving them very hungover and, inevitably, defeated the following day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired variation of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by that original beverage. Here, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it more suitable for a home kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a big container. Pour in 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about a few weeks.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
