Cocktail for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg – How to Make It

Legend claims that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would succeed over a touring English side. To secure an advantage, he threw a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally measured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players overindulged, leaving them terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the day after. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg originated.

This inspired spin on the Old Fashioned cocktail draws inspiration from the Maharaja's beverage. In our establishment, we serve it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've modified the formula to make it more suitable for a home environment.

Patiala Peg

Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

Ingredients

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

Instructions

Put all the ingredients in a large bottle. Add 130g water, agitate to combine, then put it in the fridge. It can be stored for up to three weeks.

When ready to drink, dispense about 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Drink promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.