Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would succeed over a touring English side. To secure an advantage, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger whisky servings, customarily measured from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the following day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's beverage. At the restaurant, we present it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it better suited for a household environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for as long as 21 days.
When ready to drink, measure out about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Drink straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
