Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore suggests that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would triumph over a visiting English team. To gain the upper hand, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger whisky pours, traditionally measured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, leaving them extremely hungover and, consequently, defeated the next day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's drink. Here, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it easier for a domestic kitchen.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A small pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Place everything in a big container. Add 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for as long as three weeks.
To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Drink straight away. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
