Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English side. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger whisky servings, traditionally measured from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's concoction. In our establishment, we offer it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Method
Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, mix to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about a few weeks.
For serving, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy promptly. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
