Cocktail of the Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe

Folklore has it that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would win over a visiting English squad. For a competitive edge, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, where he presented his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are famously generous four-finger whisky servings, traditionally poured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being very the worse for wear and, consequently, defeated the day after. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.

This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned draws inspiration from that original drink. Here, we serve it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've modified the recipe to make it easier for a home kitchen.

Patiala Peg

Produces 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.

You Will Need

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

Preparation

Put everything in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then put it in the fridge. You can store it for as long as a few weeks.

For serving, dispense roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Drink promptly. For a traditional touch, you could use the four-finger measure for authenticity.