Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would win over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are incredibly large four-finger measure whisky servings, historically measured from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired variation of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's concoction. Here, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it better suited for a domestic environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Put everything in a big container. Pour in 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for about a few weeks.
For serving, dispense about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Enjoy immediately. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
