Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Tale has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would triumph over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily measured from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the day after. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired spin on the old fashioned draws inspiration from that original concoction. In our establishment, we serve it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it easier for a domestic environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, mix thoroughly, then place it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as a few weeks.
To serve, pour about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy immediately. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand instead.
