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

Folklore has it that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would win over a touring English side. For a competitive edge, he organized a grand party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were notoriously large four-finger whisky pours, traditionally gauged from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, leaving them terribly hungover and, inevitably, beaten the day after. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg came to be.

This take on a spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from the Maharaja's drink. At the restaurant, we serve it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it better suited for a household setting.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 people.

You Will Need

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

Instructions

Combine everything in a large bottle. Add 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to three weeks.

For serving, measure out about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass filled with ice (ideally one large cube). Serve immediately. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure instead.