40% vodka, why add the other 60% of nothing????????!
40% vodka, why add the other 60% of nothing????????
i dont have a problem with alcohol, im just curious about this. lets say we have a regular 750 ml bottle of vodka, 40% alcohol by volume. what is this other 60% of nothing they are adding? yes i know something is added to it to stop it from being pure alcohol which is dangerous and what not, but instead of adding this nothingness or whatever, or water, why dont they start marketing brands that instead of 60% water added to the vodka, you add like 60% of a fruit drink. basically what im saying is you would have exact same amount of vodka in the bottle, but it would taste much better to those people who cant stand the taste. once again the bottle has the exact same amount of alcohol in it but now it tastes better. and for people who cant even stand this one when they add their own chaser the vodka taste would not be present.
Answers:
First of all, if you don't like the taste of vodka then switch to something else.
It's not like they take 100% potato based alcohol and water it down to make the 40%. The water is inherent in the distillation process. The distillation process is stopped when the acolhol level reaches a certain amount (not sure how much that is) and then the ageing process changes the final amount also making it smoother.
you have thought this out to where nobody can refute it!
Good point!
Try fixing that brain on the cure for cancer and you'll be a nobel prize winner real soon!
There are all kinds of flavored Vodkas out there, where have you been?
i dunno my sister always buys 70% and then mix it but who cares
They have been doing this for years Smirnoff being one of the leaders in flavored vodka, the 60% of nothing as you put it is preservitives, etc. etc.(BTW Excellent Answer Redneck you can't really get anymore direct with it!!)
1. expensive vodka is made for taste, they are very proud of the smooth quality and think that adding anything ruins the vodka
2. cheap vodka is just that. it is the least expensive way to make vodka.
3. If they added juice to alcohol, I don't think it could be marketed as vodka, and then whatever it was called may not be able to be at a concentration of 40% alcohol. there are laws that regulate the % of alcohol in beer so it may be that it falls into a classification that is not legal.
4. it may taste bad. have you ever had a shot of everclear mixed with fruit punch (1:1 ratio). It is not much more pleasant than vodka alone.
Because then it wouldn't be vodka. Vodka is a neutral flavored spirit generally bottled at 80 proof. Since they distill and filter the alcohol base multiple times the majority of 'flavor' in vodka comes from the water that is added (contrary to the popular belief that it's the base that gives the flavor).
Some companies do make flavored vodkas.
What you seem to be asking for is a high proof liqueur. Liqueur generally being flavoring (such as fruit) sugar and alcohol. In which case you can make your own. Products like Everclear are sold at the highest proof allowed in that state (around 192 or 151 proof depending). Mix juice with the everclear till you reach the desired percentage. Another way is to soak fruit in vodka, add sugar to taste and you will end up with an almost vodka strength fruit liqueur.
Chemically, alcohol cannot go above 98% or 196 proof. At that concentration the molecules don't bond together.
As to why vodkas are 40%, it has to do with the quality of the drink in proportion to the burn. The higher the proof, the more the alcohol burns the mouth, throat, nostrils, whatever.
So, 80 proof was chosen as the perfect ratio. (not to mention originally, vodka required several distillations to reach even 40%)
If you don't like the taste of vodka, I suggest a different grain alcohol like Everclear, or a higher end vodka like Grey Goose (where there is no taste and almost no burn, but still a nice alcohol content).
Oh, and they don't add water. It is all the distillated remains of the potato (or whatever grain vodka that particular brand is).
Nothing is added. (flavored vodkas are a different story, and resemble what you are looking for.)
Also, I recommend a good flavored white rum. You may find that to be worth your time.
--Bob
It's pretty simple, really.
Pure neutral spirit is 96% ethanol (the highest percentage achievable by distillation...you can get higher, but it requires chemical removal of the extra water). It can be from any source (sugar, fruit, grain, potato, whatever).
Vodka is neutral spirit that's been cut to a lower percentage (typically 40%, sometimes 50 or more, though not commonly). Thus, at its undiluted state, it's just not called "vodka."
You *can* just add pure neutral spirit to fruit juice if you like, and ratio it so that the final strength is 40%...it's just not "vodka" at this point, but more of a liqueur, though not as sweet unless you added sugar.
Unflavored vodkas are technically considered "neutral" in that they've been ultra-distilled, super-filtered, and uber-whatever to remove as much of the flavors of the original source as possible. Even so, each one retains a tiny hint (emphasis on tiny) of where it once originated. Only enough to tell that one came from something different from another, but generally not specifically. Blind tastes have proven this.
However, there *is* water added to reach 40%.
adding a fruit substitute instead of water would not taste good. they add water becuase it makes it taste like what everyone expects... vodka. There is a new vodka out, called Jaguar Vodka. It is a 40% (70 proof) vodka made from sugar cane, it is awesome. It actually helps preserve the Jaguar Habitat with every bottle sold.