Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously generous four-finger whisky pours, customarily poured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, consequently, vanquished the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original concoction. Here, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it easier for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for up to three weeks.
When ready to drink, pour roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass packed with ice (ideally one large cube). Serve promptly. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
