Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore has it that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would win over a touring English team. To gain the upper hand, he organized a lavish party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, historically gauged from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we offer it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a household setting.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Place everything in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about 21 days.
To serve, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Drink immediately. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
