Drink This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Tale suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would triumph over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly generous four-finger whisky pours, historically poured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the following day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This take on a variation of old fashioned is inspired by that original beverage. Here, we present it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it more suitable for a home setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put all the ingredients in a large bottle. Add 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to 21 days.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve immediately. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
