Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It
Legend suggests that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he hosted a grand party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were incredibly substantial four-finger whisky servings, customarily gauged from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, inevitably, beaten the following day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This inspired variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original concoction. Here, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it more suitable for a household environment.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.
You Will Need
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g simple syrup
- 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum
Method
Put all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for up to a few weeks.
To serve, measure out roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy promptly. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.
