Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore suggests that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would win over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he hosted a grand party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, historically gauged from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, defeated the following day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, mix thoroughly, then transfer it in the fridge. It can be stored for about 21 days.
For serving, measure out approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Drink straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
