Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his team would succeed over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he organized a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger whisky servings, customarily gauged from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the day after. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by Singh's beverage. At the restaurant, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it more suitable for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to 21 days.
When ready to drink, dispense about 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Drink straight away. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
