Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would succeed over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally gauged from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, inevitably, beaten the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. In our establishment, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it better suited for a domestic setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to a few weeks.
To serve, measure out about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one big block). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
