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

Legend has it that during 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his team would win over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger whisky pours, customarily gauged from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, beaten the next day. And so, the story of the Patiala peg was born.

This inspired variation of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by Singh's concoction. In our establishment, we offer it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it more suitable for a home kitchen.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.

You Will Need

• 725g blended Scotch
• 130g simple syrup
• 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
• A pinch of salt
• 2g xanthan gum powder

Instructions

Put everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, stir thoroughly, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for as long as a few weeks.

For serving, measure out approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.