Drink This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would win over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger whisky pours, traditionally gauged from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from Singh's drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it easier for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Combine everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, mix to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about three weeks.
For serving, pour roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass packed with ice (ideally one large cube). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
