Cocktail of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend suggests that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would win over a visiting English side. For a competitive edge, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger whisky pours, customarily gauged from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from Singh's beverage. At the restaurant, we offer it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Add 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as a few weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass filled with ice (preferably one large cube). Drink immediately. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.