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

Legend claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his team would triumph over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he organized a grand party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously large four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily measured from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, inevitably, vanquished the day after. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.

This take on a spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it more suitable for a home setting.

Patiala Peg

Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.

What's Required

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

Preparation

Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, mix until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for as long as three weeks.

To serve, dispense roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy straight away. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.