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

Legend claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would succeed over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he hosted a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These were famously large four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally gauged from little finger to index finger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the day after. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.

This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original drink. At the restaurant, we present it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it better suited for a domestic environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Yields 1 litre, serving 10-12 drinks.

What's Required

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

Method

Place everything in a large bottle. Pour in 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. It will now keep for as long as 21 days.

For serving, dispense about 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass filled with ice (preferably one big block). Serve straight away. To honour tradition, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.