Folklore has it that back in 1920, the Maharaja of Patiala, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English squad. To gain the upper hand, he threw a lavish party on the eve of the match, at which he served his guests the famous Patiala pegs. These are notoriously large four-finger whisky servings, traditionally poured from little finger to index finger. Unsurprisingly, the English players drank too much, leaving them extremely the worse for wear and, inevitably, vanquished the next day. And so, the legend of the Patiala peg was born.
This Punjabi variation of Old Fashioned cocktail is inspired by the Maharaja's beverage. At the restaurant, we present it from a specially crafted large-format bottle, but we've adjusted the instructions to make it better suited for a domestic kitchen.
Produces 1 litre, enough for 10-12 people.
Put all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, stir until fully incorporated, then place it in the refrigerator. It will now keep for up to three weeks.
When ready to drink, pour roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a old fashioned glass containing ice (preferably one big block). Drink promptly. To honour tradition, you could measure it in by hand as they did.
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