Drink This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Tale suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, where he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily gauged from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them very the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the following day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired variation of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by that original concoction. Here, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it more suitable for a household setting.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place everything in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. You can store it for up to 21 days.
For serving, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Enjoy promptly. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure instead.
