Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore suggests that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would triumph over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he organized a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, historically poured from little finger to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, leaving them very hungover and, consequently, defeated the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from Singh's beverage. Here, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it better suited for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Place everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, agitate to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for as long as 21 days.
For serving, dispense approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass containing ice (ideally one big block). Serve immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
