Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky servings, historically measured from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, beaten the day after. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned draws inspiration from that original beverage. In our establishment, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it more suitable for a domestic kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to three weeks.
For serving, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy promptly. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
