By Admin 
Have you ever wondered why pegs are used in the world of liquor, not big or small? Glasses are raised on the bar counter, bottles are opened and the balance rests at exactly 30 or 60 ml. But where did this story of 30-60 begin? Why is liquor measured in the unit of ‘peg’ only in some countries including India and Nepal? And why does the history behind this name still leave its impact on everything from glasses to habits? The answers will surprise you. Let us know.
Why is peg so important?
When liquor is served, the whole game is not about the glass or the bottle but about the measurement, the same measurement which we call ‘peg’. This word is so common in India and Nepal that people think of measuring liquor in pegs only. But the interesting thing is that in other countries of the world, liquor is not measured in this way, there the units and method are different, then why is peg so important here?
Where did the word peg come from?
First of all let’s talk about its history. Internet and historical references suggest that the word peg comes from the old Danish word paegl. It was a unit of measurement with which liquids were measured. With time this word took different forms in different countries and in India and Nepal it became the standard measure of liquor.
Why is liquor measured in pegs only?
Now the question is, why is the small peg only 30 ml and the big peg only 60 ml? There is a simple, scientific and very simple but mysterious reason behind this. Keeping in mind the capacity of the body, 30 ml was considered a safe portion in which the quantity of alcohol does not become heavy for the body immediately. This quantity is so small that the body can break it down and convert it into different chemicals. The liver also found this quantity easier to handle, so the smaller peg was considered standard. This is the reason why doctors sometimes consider 30 ml as a controlled serving, although the fact that alcohol harms health is always true.
What is the mathematics behind this?
The second reason is mathematics. Most liquor bottles are of 750 ml. In such a situation, measuring in 30-60 ml is very convenient for the bartender. With this, they also know how many pegs will be released from a bottle and how many servings are left. This is the reason why this measurement of peg in the bar became an easy business model.
Apart from this there is also an international connection. In the world, the international unit of alcohol is considered to be 1 ounce i.e. approximately 29.57 ml, which is approximately equal to 30 ml. That means the Indian ‘small peg’ sits closer to the world’s international unit. This means that even though peg is an indigenous word, the measurement matches the global standard to a great extent.
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