Tale suggests that in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his team would triumph over a visiting English team. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, where he offered his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are famously substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, traditionally gauged from little finger to forefinger. As expected, the English players partook excessively, resulting in them being terribly hungover and, consequently, vanquished the next day. In this way, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi spin on the old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's concoction. Here, we present it from a custom-made large-format bottle, but we've adapted the recipe to make it more suitable for a home setting.
Makes 1 litre, enough for 10-12 portions.
Put all the ingredients in a sizeable jug. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then put it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for about three weeks.
To serve, pour approximately 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass packed with ice (traditionally one big block). Serve promptly. If you're feeling traditional, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
