Cocktail of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Folklore claims that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English side. For a competitive edge, he hosted a grand party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily measured from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the following day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.
This inspired spin on the old fashioned draws inspiration from that original concoction. At the restaurant, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it easier for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Put all the ingredients in a big container. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for as long as 21 days.
When ready to drink, dispense roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Enjoy straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
