Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale has it that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would triumph over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are famously substantial four-finger whisky servings, historically gauged from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them terribly hungover and, consequently, beaten the next day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from the Maharaja's drink. In our establishment, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it easier for a domestic environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Combine everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for as long as a few weeks.
To serve, pour about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
