Cocktail of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend has it that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English side. To gain the upper hand, he threw a grand party the night before the match, at which he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously large four-finger whisky pours, traditionally gauged from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the following day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a variation of old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's concoction. At the restaurant, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it better suited for a domestic environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Place everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about a few weeks.
To serve, pour about 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass containing ice (ideally one large cube). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.
