Cocktail of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend claims that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his team would succeed over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are incredibly large four-finger whisky servings, customarily poured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them very the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by the Maharaja's drink. In our establishment, we offer it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Add 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for about three weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Drink immediately. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
