Cocktail of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger whisky servings, traditionally gauged from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, vanquished the following day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's beverage. Here, we offer it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it more suitable for a household environment.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to a few weeks.
When ready to drink, dispense roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy immediately. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.