Cocktail This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It

Legend claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would win over a touring English team. To gain the upper hand, he organized a splendid party the night before the match, at which he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, historically measured from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, defeated the next day. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.

This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's drink. In our establishment, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it more suitable for a home setting.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.

Ingredients

• 725g Scotch whisky blend
• 130g simple syrup
• 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
• A small pinch of salt
• 2g xanthan gum

Method

Put everything in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for as long as a few weeks.

When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass filled with ice (preferably one large cube). Drink straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand instead.