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

Folklore claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his team would triumph over a touring English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a grand party the night before the match, where he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are incredibly generous four-finger measure whisky servings, customarily measured from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, resulting in them being terribly the worse for wear and, consequently, vanquished the following day. Thus, the legend of the Patiala peg came to be.

This inspired spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from the Maharaja's beverage. In our establishment, we offer it from a specially crafted five-litre bottle, but we've adapted the instructions to make it better suited for a household setting.

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-flavoured bitters (approximately ⅕ tsp)
• A dash of salt
• 2g xanthan gum powder

Method

Put everything in a big container. Add 130g water, stir to combine, then put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to three weeks.

When ready to drink, dispense approximately 90ml of the infused whisky into a short glass packed with ice (ideally one big block). Serve promptly. To honour tradition, you could use the four-finger measure as they did.