Drink This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Legend suggests that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his team would win over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he hosted a splendid party the night before the match, where he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger whisky pours, traditionally measured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them very the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the following day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned is inspired by that original drink. Here, we serve it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it better suited for a domestic kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, mix to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to a few weeks.
To serve, measure out about 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Serve immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
