Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Legend suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English team. To gain the upper hand, he organized a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily poured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very hungover and, inevitably, defeated the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's concoction. Here, we offer it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it more suitable for a home environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as 21 days.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy straight away. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
