Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a grand party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are famously substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily gauged from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the day after. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original drink. In our establishment, we offer it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a home kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Put all the ingredients in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for as long as a few weeks.
For serving, pour about 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
