Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger whisky pours, traditionally measured from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, defeated the following day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired spin on the old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. Here, we serve it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it more suitable for a home setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to three weeks.
For serving, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass containing ice (traditionally one large cube). Drink straight away. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
