Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore suggests that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he threw a grand party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were incredibly large four-finger whisky pours, traditionally measured from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, consequently, defeated the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's drink. Here, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it easier for a home environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to a few weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass containing ice (ideally one large cube). Drink immediately. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand instead.