Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would win over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he hosted a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally gauged from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, defeated the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired variation of old fashioned takes its cue from that original beverage. At the restaurant, we serve it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it better suited for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put all the ingredients in a large bottle. Add 130g water, mix to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. You can store it for as long as a few weeks.
To serve, measure out about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
