Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party the night before the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger whisky servings, historically gauged from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, inevitably, defeated the day after. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's drink. Here, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it easier for a home environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for about three weeks.
When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Drink promptly. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
