Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Legend suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English team. To gain the upper hand, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, where he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, traditionally poured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the following day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from the Maharaja's concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it better suited for a household environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to a few weeks.
When ready to drink, measure out about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Serve straight away. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.
