Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale suggests that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, historically measured from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly hungover and, consequently, beaten the following day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original beverage. In our establishment, we offer it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it better suited for a home environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a large bottle. Add 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for up to 21 days.
For serving, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Enjoy immediately. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
