Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English team. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were incredibly substantial four-finger whisky servings, customarily measured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the next day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's concoction. In our establishment, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it easier for a home environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for as long as three weeks.
To serve, dispense roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy immediately. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
