Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale claims that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would win over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly substantial four-finger whisky pours, customarily gauged from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the following day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's beverage. In our establishment, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it better suited for a home kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Put everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, stir thoroughly, then transfer it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to 21 days.
When ready to drink, measure out approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy immediately. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
