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

Tale claims that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky servings, historically poured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players partook excessively, leaving them extremely hungover and, inevitably, beaten the day after. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.

This inspired variation of old fashioned is inspired by the Maharaja's drink. Here, we serve it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adapted the formula to make it better suited for a domestic environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 portions.

You Will Need

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

Instructions

Put all the ingredients in a large bottle. Add 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about a few weeks.

For serving, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Drink promptly. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.