Drink for This Week: Ambassadors Clubhouse's Patiala Peg Cocktail – Recipe

Folklore claims that during 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English side. For a competitive edge, he hosted a splendid party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These were incredibly large four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily gauged from pinky to forefinger. As expected, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the day after. In this way, the legend of the Patiala peg originated.

This Punjabi kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's drink. Here, we present it from a custom-made five-litre bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it better suited for a household environment.

The Patiala Peg Recipe

Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 drinks.

Ingredients

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

Instructions

Combine everything in a big container. Pour in 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for as long as 21 days.

When ready to drink, pour approximately 90ml of the Patiala peg mixture into a old fashioned glass containing ice (traditionally one big block). Enjoy immediately. If you're feeling traditional, you could pour it using your fingers for authenticity.