Drink This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Legend has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are famously large four-finger measure whisky pours, historically gauged from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the following day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original beverage. Here, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it easier for a household environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about three weeks.
For serving, dispense approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Enjoy immediately. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
