Cocktail of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would triumph over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily poured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the next day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired variation of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's concoction. At the restaurant, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a home kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about a few weeks.
To serve, measure out approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Drink immediately. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.