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

Legend suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would triumph over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are incredibly large four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily poured from little finger to index finger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the following day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.

This take on a spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from that original beverage. At the restaurant, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it better suited for a household setting.

Patiala Peg

Makes 1 litre, serving 10-12 portions.

What's Required

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

Preparation

Place everything in a sizeable jug. Add 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then place it in the fridge. It will now keep for up to 21 days.

When ready to drink, pour about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Drink immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.