Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Legend has it that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would triumph over a touring English squad. To gain the upper hand, he hosted a splendid party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger whisky pours, traditionally poured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, vanquished the following day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg originated.
This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from that original drink. In our establishment, we offer it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it easier for a home environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
What's Required
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to a few weeks.
For serving, measure out roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass containing ice (ideally one big block). Drink straight away. For a traditional touch, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.
