Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – Recipe
Folklore claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would win over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were famously generous four-finger whisky pours, customarily gauged from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from Singh's drink. At the restaurant, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it more suitable for a home setting.
Patiala Peg
Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 people.
Ingredients
- 725g blended scotch whisky
- 130g sugar syrup (1:1)
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A dash of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Instructions
Place everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, agitate to combine, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for as long as three weeks.
When ready to drink, dispense roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Serve immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.
