Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Folklore has it that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger measure whisky servings, historically gauged from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the following day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Combine everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, mix thoroughly, then place it in the fridge. You can store it for as long as three weeks.
When ready to drink, dispense about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Drink straight away. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.