The strength of a drink means an indicator of the volume fraction of ethyl alcohol contained in it. To an inexperienced man in the street, these words mean little. It is much easier to read the degrees indicated on the alcohol label.
It is necessary
Alcohol meter, online cocktail strength calculator, alcoholic beverage
Instructions
Step 1
Method one: classic
Measuring the strength of a drink using an alcohol hydrometer or, popularly, an alcohol meter. This device is immersed in an alcoholic liquid and displays the concentration of the alcohol contained in it. Or, more simply, the percentage of alcohol. This device has several types, working in different modes and with different liquids. For example, a wine meter determines not only the strength of a wine drink, but also the amount of sugar in it.
Step 2
Household and vial areometers are good for home use - the former are an instantaneous mercury scale, the latter are indispensable for measuring small volumes. An optical alcohol meter has high accuracy in measuring multicomponent alcohol-containing liquids, while an electronic one and all of the above devices are good only for alcohol or water-alcohol solutions. A laboratory alcohol meter is used in production to measure the amount of alcohol in various household products.
Step 3
The alcohol hydrometer is extremely fragile and must be handled with care. With shaking and some other mechanical influences, the device may give inaccurate readings, and since the most common alcohol meters with a mercury scale, their damage can cause leakage of "liquid silver" and poisoning. immediately before use, the device should be cleaned of stains and other contaminants, wiped dry. It is advisable to immerse the alcoholometer in the middle of the vessel with the measured liquid, without touching its walls. For the most accurate readings, the liquid temperature should be 18-20 degrees. An electronic alcohol meter will give numbers almost immediately, for mercury - you need to wait until the mercury takes a stable position. Then, according to the markings on the scale, it will be possible to determine the number of degrees or the strength of the drink.
Step 4
Method two: obvious
Each country has its own form of designation of the strength of alcoholic beverages produced in it. Some, for example, believe that the flavor-aromatic bouquet of the drink draws the properties of the drink much more vividly, and there is no digital designation of the strength. In our country, the regulations are less democratic: as a rule, when calculating the weight percent of alcohol, the number of degrees is indicated on alcohol containers, and when calculating the volume of alcohol, its percentage in relation to the total composition of the drink. Both of these options are usually present. So to determine the strength of the drink, it is enough to carefully study its packaging.
Step 5
Method three: modern
The effectiveness of the alcohol meter in alcoholic mixtures is reduced to almost zero, and since the strength of cocktails is not indicated either in the menu or on the glasses, we only have to guess about it based on the strength of the cocktail components. However, you can solve this problem with the help of an online calculator of the strength of an alcoholic cocktail. By choosing the right ingredients, indicating their volume, you can get the amount of alcohol (% by volume) in the mixture.
