Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger whisky servings, customarily poured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, leaving them very the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This take on a kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's drink. Here, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it more suitable for a household environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for up to three weeks.
For serving, pour about 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Drink straight away. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
