Drink This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would win over a visiting English side. For a competitive edge, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky servings, historically gauged from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the next day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This take on a variation of old fashioned takes its cue from that original concoction. At the restaurant, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it better suited for a home kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the fridge. It can be stored for about a few weeks.
To serve, dispense about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass containing ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
