Drink This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore claims that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would succeed over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are famously substantial four-finger whisky pours, historically measured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, consequently, defeated the following day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.
This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from the Maharaja's drink. Here, we present it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it better suited for a household kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, stir to combine, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for as long as 21 days.
When ready to drink, measure out roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Enjoy immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
