Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Tale has it that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are famously substantial four-finger whisky pours, customarily poured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the day after. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's concoction. Here, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it better suited for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1â…“ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately â…• tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Add 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about 21 days.
To serve, measure out approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Enjoy promptly. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
