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

Folklore has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would win over a touring English side. To secure an advantage, he organized a grand party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger whisky pours, customarily measured from pinky to index finger. As expected, the English players drank too much, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the following day. And so, the myth of the Patiala peg came to be.

This inspired variation of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we serve it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a domestic kitchen.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.

Ingredients

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

Instructions

Place everything in a big container. Add 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to three weeks.

For serving, pour about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass packed with ice (traditionally one large cube). Drink immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand instead.