Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend has it that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, where he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily poured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the next day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's beverage. Here, we serve it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a household kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Add 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as a few weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.