Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale suggests that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would win over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger whisky servings, historically gauged from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, defeated the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired variation of old fashioned takes its cue from the Maharaja's concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Place everything in a big container. Add 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for about a few weeks.
For serving, pour roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass containing ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy straight away. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
