This has been confused with Chinese peg at times, in which water is poured followed by liquor thus forming two distinct layers.
[1] The name originates from the city of Patiala, which was once a state known globally for the extravagant ways of its royalty and extraordinary height of its Sikh soldiers.
[citation needed] There are multiple theories how the measure got its name, all of which revolve around Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh who ruled the princely state of Patiala from 1900 until his death in 1938.
He invited an Irish team called Viceroy's Pride for a friendly tournament of 'tent pegging' (a competition where players on horseback have to pierce and pull out small objects embedded in the ground, usually wooden plates of the dimensions of the sole of a size 12 shoe, with their lances).
[2] Generally, the Patiala Peg is referred to for its particular volume and strong residual effect, and the measure is associated with the region of Punjab.