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

Tale suggests that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was determined that his team would win over a touring English side. To secure an advantage, he organized a lavish party the night before the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally measured from pinky to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, vanquished the next day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.

This take on a variation of Old Fashioned cocktail takes its cue from that original concoction. In our establishment, we present it from a bespoke five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it more suitable for a home setting.

Patiala Peg

Makes 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.

You Will Need

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

Instructions

Combine everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then place it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about three weeks.

To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a old fashioned glass containing ice (preferably one large cube). Drink promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.