Drink of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It

Legend has it that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are famously generous four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily gauged from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, inevitably, beaten the following day. In this way, the story of the Patiala peg originated.

This take on a variation of old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's beverage. Here, we serve it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it easier for a domestic environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Yields 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.

Ingredients

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

Preparation

Place everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as three weeks.

For serving, pour approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (ideally one large cube). Enjoy immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.