Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Legend claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would win over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he hosted a splendid party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally measured from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them very the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the next day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from that original concoction. Here, we offer it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it more suitable for a household environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate to combine, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for about three weeks.
To serve, measure out about 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.