To be honest, desi parties are never complete without chugging the iconic patiala pegs. However, little did we know was the origin of this legendary drink, and trust us, the story behind it is quite interesting!
Patiala’s Maharaja from 1900 to 1938, Bhupinder Singh created this brilliant concoction.
Captain Amarinder Singh, Punjab’s Ex-CM, who’s also the grandson of the maharaja, revealed the fascinating origins of the drink in his book, Captain Amarinder Singh: The People’s Maharaja.
He revealed how his grandfather wanted his team to win a polo match, against the Irish Team, in 1920, and when the participants arrived in his city for the match, the maharaja cleverly devised a plan.
He invited the rival team for a welcome party on the eve of the game and prepared enormous whisky pegs, with 120 ml alcohol in each drink. The measurement of this drink is calculated from the distance between the index to little fingers.
Needless to mention, the rival team had terrible hangovers and lost the match, the next morning. The maharaja’s team, on the other hand, emerged as winners.
The maharaja, allegedly, created this unusual measurement post a cricket match, in the company of the British Team.
Inder Pal Singh Rana, Proprietor, Patiala’s Bar Scotland Yard, revealed that the maharaja assigned a particular seat for the firangi players and called it the Patiala Peg.
The maharaja was indeed sharp and sassy!
