Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his team would triumph over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are famously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally measured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's beverage. At the restaurant, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it more suitable for a home kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Put everything in a big container. Add 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about 21 days.
For serving, pour about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass containing ice (ideally one big block). Drink straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand instead.
