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

Legend has it that back in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was set that his cricket team would triumph over a visiting English team. For a competitive edge, he threw a splendid party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were incredibly substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, historically measured from pinky to index finger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being extremely hungover and, inevitably, beaten the following day. Thus, the story of the Patiala peg originated.

This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned draws inspiration from the Maharaja's concoction. At the restaurant, we present it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it easier for a household environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.

Ingredients

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

Method

Put everything in a big container. Pour in 130g water, agitate thoroughly, then transfer it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about a few weeks.

For serving, measure out roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (traditionally one big block). Serve immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.