Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he organized a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally gauged from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired variation of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's beverage. At the restaurant, we offer it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it more suitable for a domestic kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Put everything in a big container. Pour in 130g water, mix to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for as long as a few weeks.
To serve, pour about 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Drink promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
