Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, historically poured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the day after. And so, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's beverage. Here, we serve it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it easier for a home kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1â…“ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about â…• tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Pour in 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to three weeks.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Serve immediately. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
