Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Tale claims that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English side. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally measured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This take on a variation of old fashioned is inspired by Singh's drink. At the restaurant, we serve it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it easier for a household kitchen.
Patiala Peg
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
You Will Need
- 725g Scotch whisky blend
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Place everything in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for about 21 days.
To serve, pour approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Serve straight away. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers instead.
