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

Legend has it that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was determined that his cricket team would triumph over a touring English squad. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he presented his guests the legendary Patiala pegs. These were famously substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, historically measured from pinky to forefinger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, leaving them very the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.

This take on a variation of old fashioned takes its cue from that original beverage. Here, we present it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it better suited for a home kitchen.

Patiala Peg

Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.

What's Required

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

Instructions

Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Pour in 130g water, agitate to combine, then transfer it in the fridge. You can store it for about a few weeks.

To serve, pour roughly 90ml of the infused whisky into a rocks glass packed with ice (preferably one big block). Enjoy straight away. For a traditional touch, you could pour it using your fingers as they did.