Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would win over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he organized a grand party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, historically poured from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them very hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's beverage. In our establishment, we present it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a domestic environment.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for up to three weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
