2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14
Any person who at least once in his life went on vacation to the village knows perfectly well that the quality of moonshine and other alcoholic beverages is checked by ignition. But why is it like this? Should vodka burn?
Where did the verification come from and why is it needed?
Ignition of strong alcoholic beverages has been known to our compatriots for so long that no one even remembers the history of its appearance. “Trial by fire” for strong alcoholic beverages is used mainly by distillers.
Ignition helps not only to determine the theoretical strength and purity of the product, but also to divide it into fractions. In the latter case, the method is a real lifesaver if there is no alcohol meter at hand.
If cognac, moonshine or vodka burns well, but emits an unpleasant and pungent odor, this indicates impurities that are hazardous to he alth. Drinking such a product is strongly discouraged.
Vodka as it is
Good moonshine or vodka should really burn well. However, for the quality control of the drink to be truly correct, some subtleties must be observed.
From the school chemistry course, several facts are known related to both vodka and alcohol. Theoretically, good vodka should consist of two components: distilled water and alcohol. But this is only in theory. In practice, the drink often contains a large amount of impurities (esters, fusel oils, etc.). The degree of their concentration directly depends on the quality of alcohol purification.
Does vodka burn? It burns and doesn't burn. Water and other impurities, which make up the lion's share of the composition, cannot burn. Only alcohol vapors and essential oils light up, and the higher their concentration, the stronger, brighter and longer burning.
How to check the quality of alcohol?
When checking, you should follow a few simple rules:
- Well-chilled vodka (even the highest quality) will never burn. Any drink must be heated to a temperature above forty or fifty degrees before lighting.
- Vodka will never catch fire without free access to oxygen. A bottle or decanter will not work for testing. Use a spoon, saucer and any other similar container.
- When setting fire, remember: vodka is not alcohol in its pure form and not gasoline. It does not ignite immediately, does not burn with a clear flame, and sometimes it takes a little effort.
- Smooth, relatively short-lived blue flame indicates quality alcohol.
- Many do not know at what degrees vodka burns. If the vodka ignited, but did not burn for long and not too well, this is notindicator of a quality drink. The practice of craftsmen found that the drink starts to burn at a strength of 30 degrees.
- It is strictly forbidden to drink vodka that burns with green fire! Such a flame indicates the presence of harmful impurities of methyl alcohol, which are deadly to humans.
- The liquid remaining after burning - water - should remain transparent in color without an unpleasant and even more pungent odor.
Sambuca VS vodka: which burns better and why?
Often inquisitive connoisseurs of alcoholic beverages may wonder why an Italian drink burns better than a domestic product. After all, their degrees are almost the same.
Indeed, the strength of both drinks is about the same, but the composition is not. Moreover, vodka burns much worse than the French Cointreau liqueur. Few have heard of the latter in its purest form. This is the top - burning - layer of the B-52 cocktail.
Its strength is much less than vodka and sambuca. What is the reason? Sugar syrup? Not at all. Such a bright and enviable flame gives a high concentration of essential oils in the drink.
Some interesting facts about alcohol strength
Sometimes store-bought vodka burns badly, not because of a defect or dishonesty of the manufacturer, but because of improper storage of the product in a warehouse or store. The contents of a clear glass bottle that has been left in direct sunlight will inevitably lose its potency.
A glass of vodka left on the table from evening tomorning, lose the fortress. The same will happen with a leaky sealed decanter and bottle. Even the slightest contact of alcohol with oxygen will affect the quality of the drink.
Infusion of alcoholic beverages in an oak barrel favorably affects not only the taste, aroma and color, but also the strength. The liquid, which is cool, dark and without access to oxygen, gradually gains strength over time. Ripening.
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