Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid 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, historically measured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, vanquished the next day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.
This take on a variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original concoction. At the restaurant, we offer it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it more suitable for a domestic setting.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Instructions
Put everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for as long as a few weeks.
To serve, dispense approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Serve immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand instead.
