Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are famously large four-finger measure whisky servings, historically measured from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired spin on the old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it more suitable for a domestic setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
You Will Need
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as a few weeks.
For serving, measure out about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Drink straight away. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
