Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he hosted a grand party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were incredibly large four-finger measure whisky pours, historically poured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the following day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from Singh's drink. Here, we serve it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it easier for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Add 130g water, stir to combine, then place it in the fridge. It can be stored for as long as three weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass containing ice (ideally one big block). Drink promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
