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

Tale suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was set that his team would succeed over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he organized a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously generous four-finger whisky pours, historically poured from little finger to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players overindulged, resulting in them being very hungover and, consequently, beaten the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.

This take on a kind-of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by Singh's beverage. At the restaurant, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the recipe to make it more suitable for a domestic environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

Ingredients

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

Method

Combine everything in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for up to a few weeks.

When ready to drink, dispense about 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a short glass filled with ice (ideally one big block). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand for authenticity.