Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe

Legend has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would win over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger whisky servings, traditionally poured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them very the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.

This inspired variation of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from the Maharaja's concoction. Here, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

Ingredients

• 725g blended scotch whisky
• 130g sugar syrup
• 6g Angostura aromatic bitters (approximately 1⅓ tsp)
• 1g orange bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
• A small pinch of salt
• 2g xanthan gum

Preparation

Place everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, mix thoroughly, then place it in the fridge. It will now keep for about a few weeks.

To serve, measure out roughly 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (preferably one big block). Serve straight away. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers instead.