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

Tale suggests that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English squad. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously large four-finger whisky servings, historically gauged from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, leaving them extremely hungover and, consequently, vanquished the following day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg originated.

This inspired variation of old fashioned takes its cue from the Maharaja's concoction. In our establishment, we serve it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the formula to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.

What's Required

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

Instructions

Combine everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, mix to combine, then place it in the fridge. It can be stored for about a few weeks.

For serving, measure out roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a short glass packed with ice (preferably one large cube). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.