Cocktail of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe
Tale has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would win over a visiting English team. To gain the upper hand, he threw a lavish party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are incredibly large four-finger measure whisky servings, historically poured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This inspired kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it easier for a domestic setting.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in a large bottle. Add 130g water, stir to combine, then place it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to three weeks.
For serving, measure out about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Drink straight away. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.
