Introduction to Alcoholic Beverages

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE– As per the Indian standard, alcoholic drinks are those drinks which
contained alcohol from 0.5 to 42.8% v/v alcohol & as per world standard the range of alcoholic
percentage are 0.5 to 95% v/v.

Fermentation– This is biological reaction in which sugar react with yeast at varied temperature
(temp. varies as per alcoholic drink produced) & produced ethyl alcohol, carbon dioxide gas, &
energy. The maximum amount of alcohol produced will be 12% – 13 % because as percentage of
alcohol rises the yeast gets killed by alcohol.

C6 H12 O6 + YEAST = 2C2 H 5OH +2 CO2 + ENERGY

Distillation – Distilling is the process of separating two miscible liquid. This is done by heating wine
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(or another fermented alcoholic product) in a still at 78.3 C or 185°F (alcohol’s evaporation point).
The alcohol evaporates (turns into a gas). These vapors passes through condenser and converted
back to liquid. The newly formed liquid has been separated from most of the water, so it is now
more concentrated in alcohol.

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 Introduction to Alcoholic Beverages

Congeners– Along with evaporated alcohol some minute particles are also transferred to resulting
alcohol. These congeners are natural chemicals (phenol, aldehydes, acids, esters, minerals etc.)
that are the part of original ingredient. The amount of congeners can be controlled in final product.
Higher the proof, lower the congeners & vice versa. These congeners provides distinctive flavour
to alcohol

ALCOHOLIC STRENGTH (PROOF) -The early distillers had a unique and entertaining method of
determining the alcoholic strength of spirits. They would mix equal quantities of spirit and
gunpowder and then apply a flame to it. When the mixture failed to ignite it was considered too
weak; if it exploded or burned too brightly it was too strong, but if it burned evenly and had a mild
blue flame it was ‘proved’ suitable’ and safe for humans to drink. Hence the words ‘proof’
originated.

Bartholomew Sykes (Board of Excise- exchequer), introduced Sykes hydrometer in 1818. Sykes, in
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his wisdom, determined that 175 ‘proof’ is equal to 100% v/v pure alcohol.
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French chemist Joseph Gay Lussac (1778-1850) invented a new system in which 100 proof is
equal to 100% v/v and was adopted throughout mainland Europe.
The British have now abandoned the abstruse system introduced by Sykes. The new system
known as OIML (Organisation Internationale de Metrologie Legale) expresses alcoholic strength as
a percentage by volume of alcohol. It is very similar to the Gay-Lussac system except that OIML

measures strength at 200 C (680 F) and Gay-Lussac does so at 150 C (590 F).
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BRITISH 100 =57%v/v

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U.S.A 200 =100%v/v

Gay Lussac Follows metric system which that 40% GL means 40%v/v alcohol

OIML Similar to GL system

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