How to dilute alcohol proportions. The correct technology for diluting alcohol with water at home

Many people think about how to dilute alcohol. But this question is very interesting. After all, when mixing alcohol and water, the volume of the mixture decreases. It is precisely this “disappearance” of volume that D. Mendeleev studied. It is possible to get high-quality vodka only with a carefully selected ratio of alcohol and water.

How to properly dilute 96% alcohol to get vodka

To make homemade vodka, you will need not only high-quality drinking alcohol, but also soft water. Water should contain a minimum amount of salts. It is best to take spring water to dilute alcohol. But if there is no such water, then you can take tap water, which must be passed through cleaning filters.

1.25 liters of 96% alcohol is poured into a three-liter glass container. 40.0 ml of a 40% glucose solution (available at a pharmacy) and one teaspoon (5.0 ml) of vinegar essence are added to it. After that, water is poured into a container with alcohol to the mark of three liters.

If desired, honey, citric acid and sugar can be added to the resulting vodka, which will not only improve its taste, but also make it softer.

Homemade vodka obtained in this way should be allowed to stand for 72 hours.

How to dilute alcohol with water: getting 40% vodka from 70% alcohol

To obtain good quality 40% vodka from 70% alcohol, purified soft water must be used. In addition, alcohol should be diluted with water in a clear ratio: 100.0 ml of alcohol 70% and 78.0 ml of water.

In addition, ascorbic acid and emollients (sugar, glucose, orange juice) can be added to the resulting mixture of alcohol with water. Do not add baking soda or products rich in oils to the resulting vodka, because. after drinking such alcohol in the morning you will be provided with a severe headache.

After diluting alcohol with water, the resulting mixture must be given time to brew. If this time is not available, then the mixture should be shaken vigorously and be sure to cool before use.

How to dilute alcohol: fast and tasty

Pour 200.0 ml of 96% alcohol into the carafe and add 300.0 ml of water to it. Squeeze the juice of half an orange or lemon into a decanter. Shake the mixture vigorously and refrigerate. To quickly cool the mixture, 100.0 ml of water can be replaced with finely crushed ice prepared from a similar amount of water.

To obtain vodka, ethyl alcohol is diluted with water, sometimes additional ingredients are added to give it a special taste. Self-preparation of this drink is not much different from conventional factory technologies. The advantage of this cooking procedure is that the person himself controls the entire process. And confidence in the quality of the resulting product is important for many people, so it is important to know how to dilute the alcohol to make vodka.

Preparation of ingredients

How to properly dilute alcohol is a serious question. They have learned to dilute alcohol with water up to 40 degrees for ingestion for a long time. The preparation of vodka in this way is called the “cold method” by technologists. This operation is widespread in various distilleries. The technology is precisely tested, perfectly developed and quite economical. As a result of dilution, a high-quality food product is obtained, known for its intoxicating and bactericidal properties.

Alcohol

In the process of mixing alcohol with water, the main thing is to follow the order of all the ingredients. For starters, of course, they need to be prepared. Alcohol is of several types:

Anhydrous;
Medical;
96% - first grade;
96.2% - the highest purification;
96.3% - category "luxury";
96.5% - category "extra".

The highest quality is considered "luxury". The worst option is alcohol of the highest purity.

Water

After the main raw material is selected, it is necessary to prepare the water in which everything will be diluted further. It can be distilled or filtered. With the filtered option, there are different results, which depend on the mineral composition and hardness of the water. And with distilled water, there are practically no unsuccessful outcomes of the dilution process. It is not recommended to use tap water without preliminary purification - the final product will be of poor quality.

Some people advise using spring water, store-bought bottled water, or pure melt water for this process. Things are not so simple with such ingredients. Spring water is often hard, water from the store is also not very pure, and melt water, given the almost ubiquitous environmental situation at the present time, is also far from always suitable.

Additives

As various additives in industrial production, various acids are usually used. Lemon and vinegar are the most popular of them. Vinegar is mostly used because of its cheapness and special smell, and lemon - due to its excellent emollient qualities. In the role of additives in this process, sugar, aromatic essences are used, sometimes a little milk and honey are added. The use of these ingredients depends only on the taste preferences of the manufacturer.

Optimal dilution ratios and preparation order

How to dilute alcohol with water? The optimal proportions for mixing vodka have been established for a long time - it is 3 to 2 parts of water to alcohol. In this way, vodka of 40 degrees, which is considered a classic, is obtained, the volume of which will be slightly less than one liter.

It is extremely important to understand how to properly dilute alcohol with water. The procedure here is simple: alcohol is poured into water, there are no other options. The whole process must be controlled by a special device - a hydrometer, which is often simply called an alcoholometer. Depending on his testimony, continue to gradually add alcohol to the water.

Important! Now you should not forget about water: it is no longer necessary to pour it into the resulting mixture.

If we talk about industrial production, mass corrections are made for additives. But for home production, you should not make these amendments, because the volumes here are noticeably smaller. After dilution, the finished product is settled for some time and purified. Sometimes a little activated charcoal is poured into the resulting mixture. In this state, the product is kept warm for 2-4 hours. Then the mixture is filtered, for this you can use a paper or fabric filter.

The dilution and purification process is followed by the addition process. To soften, honey, citrus juices, and glucose are often added. For 1 liter, 30-40 ml of the desired ingredient will be enough. Even less acid is added - about 10 ml per 1 liter of the resulting mixture.

Important! How to dilute medical alcohol, ethyl alcohol 95 degrees or an already diluted mixture of 70 percent - for this it is better to use special tables, of which there are a great many on the Internet today.

Now all this composition must be kept in the cold and dark for about a week: after dilution, alcohol begins to react with all the components of the resulting drink, and its taste is formed. At the end of the exposure, the finished vodka should be bottled.

Sometimes additives are added before the start of dilution - at the same time, water is preliminarily prepared with the necessary components mixed in it, only after that alcohol is poured into the resulting mixture. If you look for tables and make calculations, there is no desire, then you can remember a simple formula for diluting alcohol 96 °: to get standard 40 ° vodka, you need to add 1.4 liters of water to 1 liter of alcohol. Do not forget about the temperature of the mixed elements - they need to be heated to 20 ° C, otherwise you can adjust the necessary degrees of strength for a long time.

How to dilute alcohol? When diluting alcohol at home, it should be remembered that Russian law does not prohibit moonshine, but attempts to sell finished alcoholic products are already punishable by law. Therefore, it is possible to produce alcohol for personal use without problems, it is only important to take into account the possible consequences of its use for the human body. Alcohol addiction is one of the global problems of modern society, and drinking alcohol should be taken seriously. It is worth using only high-quality raw materials for making vodka, then you can get an optimal and life-safe result.

Most tinctures and other homemade spirits do not require 96% alcohol, but a diluted version of it. In this case, it is very useful to know how to properly dilute alcohol with water and not adjust. At the same time, for tinctures, as a rule, not 40% vodka is needed. As you know, alcohol is a good solvent, therefore, the greater its content in the liquid, the more it draws the substances we need from the products (mainly essential oils). In this regard, it is recommended to use alcohol with a strength of at least 45-50%, but it is better to dilute it to 70%, if we are not talking about selected drinks, for example, Limoncello, which initially needs to be insisted on pure alcohol. The process of diluting alcohol with water is called the "cold" method of production and is sometimes used even in distilleries. For us, ordinary people, this is an ideal way to get a solution of the strength we need, including vodka. In principle, the process is not complicated, but the observance of technology is very welcome here.

How to dilute alcohol?

It would seem that it could be easier than diluting alcohol - mixed it with water - and you're done. But no. There are many nuances here.

Firstly, alcohols are different and with different strengths (first-class - 96%, with the highest purification - 96.2%, "extra" - 96.5%, "luxury" - 96.3%, medical and dry (anhydrous) ). The degree of purification of alcohol directly depends on the type. And the diversity of species is related to what exactly alcohol is obtained from (from which grain).

Secondly, the water for breeding should be taken the purest, completely transparent, so to speak - without color, taste and smell. In addition, it will be better if there are no salts in it. In addition, this water must be further purified, filtered and softened. The finished version is usually referred to as “corrected water”. At home, for diluting alcohol, it is best to purchase distilled water at a pharmacy, but in no case should you take regular water from the tap in the kitchen.

How to dilute alcohol without risk to health?

Alcohol is diluted with water and other ingredients to obtain vodka. Self-preparation of a drink practically does not differ from factory technologies. The advantage of this cooking procedure is that you control everything yourself. And, therefore, you will be sure that you will prepare a normal product, with or without, according to your taste, various additives and without the risk of getting poisoned with burned vodka. How to properly dilute alcohol and will be discussed in the article.

Preparation of ingredients

Alcohol

The preparation of vodka from alcohol by dilution in water is called the “cold method” by technologists. This operation is often used in distilleries. The technology is proven, proven, economical. As a result of dilution, a high-quality food product with a known intoxicating effect is obtained. In this process, the main thing is to follow the step by step order of mixing all the ingredients. But first you need to prepare them.

Choose an alcohol from the list below:

96.5% - extra;
96.3% - luxury;
96.2% - the highest purification;
96% - first grade;
medical;
anhydrous.

The best quality alcohol is a product labeled "Lux". And the worst option (for lack of a better one) is alcohol of the highest purity. (Don't be surprised - it's true, a hundredth of a percent is very important!)

Water

After choosing the main raw material, it is necessary to prepare water, in which then it will be necessary to dilute alcohol. This component can be filtered or distilled. With filtered, different results can occur, they depend on the hardness of the water and its mineral composition. And with “distillate” there are practically no options for failure (if it is really a distilled product). It is never necessary to use tap water (“Zhekovskaya”) without purification - spoil both the final product and simply transfer valuable alcohol.

There are recommendations to use spring water, pure bottled water, pure melt water. With these options, everything is very ambiguous. Spring water is often hard, purchased water from a supermarket is also not distinguished by the purity of its parameters, and we do not recommend melted water (with our ecology). (The last tip will be especially relevant not only for residents of cities, but also suburbs, small towns and villages located near industrial giants within up to 100 km.)

Additives

As various additives in industrial production, various acids and additives are used. Acetic and citric acid are the most popular. Vinegar in honor of its cheapness and sugary smell, and lemon - to soften hard water (even filtered water can be hard). Sugar, aromatic essences are added to vodka as additives, milk and honey are added in small quantities.

The use of these ingredients depends only on your taste preferences. Love “bitter”, real and burning, “so that it warms” - do not use additives. If you like a “soft to go on its own” product, experiment by adding little by little and come up with your perfect recipe.

We do according to the formula

In order to obtain a drink with a strength of 40% (vodka) from a liter of alcohol with a strength of 96%, you need to pour this liter of alcohol into 1.4 liters of water.

This operation is performed based on the following formula: X=P*(N/M-1)

X- this is the amount of water in milliliters that will be needed to obtain a solution of the desired strength
P is the volume of alcohol we have in milliliters
N- this is the strength of the existing alcohol, which we dilute
M- this is the fortress we want to get

See how we got the figure 1.4 liters (1400 milliliters) using this formula: we multiplied 1000 (the volume of alcohol we have in ml) by the number obtained by subtracting one (1) from the result of dividing 96 (the strength of the alcohol available) by 40 (the fortress we want to get): 1400=1000*(96/40-1).

Another example: in order to get a drink with a strength of 50% from a liter of alcohol with a strength of 96%, you need to pour this liter of alcohol into 920 milliliters of water: 920=1000*(96/50-1)

However, you may have alcohol with a strength not of 96%, but lower, then the above formula will not work. In this case, it will help you alcohol dilution table - Fertman table.

How to dilute a liter of 96% alcohol?

If you wish to receive 40 degree vodka, by diluting alcohol, then you should mix a liter of alcohol with 1440 ml of water. Not so strong drinks are often required, for example, 30% or 35% . To obtain them, a liter of alcohol will need to be combined with 2240 and 1785 ml, respectively. If you pour 1175 ml of water into a liter of 96% alcohol, you will end up with an alcoholic drink with a strength of 45% . Achieve a fortress 50% You can mix a liter of alcohol and 960 grams of water. When 780 ml of water is added to a liter of alcohol, an alcoholic drink with a strength of 55% .

To get a drink with a strength 60 degrees, you need to combine 1000 ml of pure alcohol with 630 ml of water. What strength do you think the drink will turn out as a result of mixing a liter of alcohol with half a liter of water? Right, 65% . By diluting a liter of pure alcohol with 390 ml of water, we get a drink with a strength 70% .

Stronger concentrations, namely 75% , 80% , 85% and 90% obtained by mixing a liter of alcohol with 295 ml, 209 ml, 135 ml and 65 ml of water, respectively.

Obviously, as a result of the manipulations listed above, it is often possible to obtain a rather large volume of an alcoholic beverage, which may turn out to be superfluous. We believe that in this case it would be appropriate to tell you in what proportions water and alcohol should be combined in order to get a liter of drink (plus / minus 50 ml).

How to dilute 96% alcohol to get a liter of vodka?

Liter of real 40 degree vodka can be obtained by mixing 421 ml of alcohol and 607 ml of water. When you combine 632 ml of alcohol and 397 ml of water, you get a little more than a liter 60% -drink. By mixing 474 ml of alcohol and 556 ml of water, you can get 1030 ml 45% - drink.

Well, now in order ....

Diluting 316 ml of alcohol with 707 ml of water will make a low-alcohol drink ( 30% ). Drink by strength 35% obtained by mixing 368 ml of alcohol with 658 ml of water. Create drinks with strength 50% and 55% , you can combine 526 ml and 579 ml of alcohol with 504 and 451 ml of water, respectively.

By diluting 684 ml of 96% alcohol with 343 ml of water, you can get an alcoholic drink with a strength 65% . Liter, more precisely a little more, 70% -nogo drink is easy to get if you mix 737 ml of alcohol and 288 ml of water.

The strongest concentrations ( 75%, 80%, 85% and 90%) are obtained by mixing 789 ml of alcohol with 233 ml of water, 852 ml of alcohol with 176 ml of water, 895 ml of alcohol with 119 ml of water and 947 ml of alcohol with 61 ml of water, respectively.

settling

After we have received the solution we need in terms of strength, we still cannot call it ready, it needs to be infused for several days, and preferably for a whole week, this is necessary for all the chemical reactions that occur there to be completed. Moreover, it is necessary to defend at a temperature of +5 degrees Celsius in a tightly closed and completely filled container, otherwise alcohol will lose its properties upon contact with oxygen.

This is how the solution settles, you can already safely start preparing various tinctures or other alcoholic beverages at home.

Recipes

Spicy vodka

Spice lovers should definitely try this recipe. 3 cups of water are combined with 2 cups of alpha alcohol, mixed and cooled. After a few hours, the bottle is opened and 1 cup of dry lemon zest is thrown into it. The drink is infused in cool conditions for another 5 hours and the infusion is distilled through a moonshine still.

Further, the recipe requires measuring the distillate and adding 5 g of cinnamon to each liter of it. Nutmeg and cardamom put 1 g each. For a richer taste, spices are poured in larger quantities. Then the vodka with aromatic additives and alcohol is tightly closed and cleaned in a warm room. You can simply wrap the bottle with a blanket or put it in a hot oven for 11 hours.

After the specified time, the container is moved to a dark place where the drink should be infused for 12 hours. The finished product is filtered through folded gauze and cooled. Add sugar or glucose if desired.

Do-it-yourself "pepper"

You can prepare this version of alcoholic products from the following set of ingredients:

cloves - 2 heads;
red pepper - 1 pod;
black pepper allspice - 6 peas;
vodka with an alcohol base alpha - 0.5 l.

So that peppercorns and cloves do not float in the container, they can be placed in a red pod. Seeds are taken out of the vegetable cut along the length and the void is filled with the necessary components. The pod is thrown into a jar and after 3-5 days they try the drink.

Vodka-Kedrovka

The recipe for this drink is also not complicated. You will need half a kilo of unpeeled pine nuts, 2 liters of water (it is needed to evaporate the resin from the nuts) and 3 liters of alpha vodka.

Work with ingredients like this:

nuts are boiled for 5 minutes, after which they change the water and extend the boil for another 5 minutes;
nuts are discarded in a colander and wait for the water to drain;
cedar fruits are placed in vodka.

Drink "two in one" - vodka-cognac

The following recipe requires a more solid set of ingredients:

soda - 0.5 tsp;
cloves - 2 pcs.;
sugar - 1 tsp;
bay leaf - 2;
alpha vodka - 3 l;
vanillin - on the tip of a knife;
oak bark powder - 1 tsp;
black pepper - 3 peas;
instant coffee - 1 tsp;
brewing high-quality loose tea - 1 tsp.

The ingredients are collected in a total mass and put the pan on a quiet fire. The container is covered with a transparent lid and the hole is closed with bread crumb. Just before boiling, flavored vodka alpha is removed from the oven and taken out to cool. When cooled, it is filtered through gauze, bottled and put into a refrigeration unit.

Lemon spirit vodka

A soft refreshing drink is made from alpha vodka (400 ml), one lemon and water (600 ml). Citrus fruit is poured with boiling water, wiped and peeled from it with a knife. The zest is thinly sliced and placed in a bottle. In a separate bowl, mix water with alcohol and put the mixture in the refrigerator for several hours.

The juice is squeezed out of the remaining pulp and collected in a jar. Vodka infusion is divided equally. One part is diluted with lemon juice, the other is poured into a bottle with zest. Banks are closed and taken out for 2 weeks in a dark, dry place. Drinks are sipped and tasted.

This recipe can be improved by additionally distilling vodka through the apparatus and diluting it with sugar syrup. Any alpha vodka is easy to make without moonshine "technology". It is recommended that the alcohol mixture be infused in a cold place for at least 14 days, filtered and kept for another 3 days.

Unusual way

You can also make vodka from alcohol with the addition of various spices, which will add spice to the taste.

To get the product, you need to prepare the ingredients:

3 glasses of water;
2 glasses of alcohol;
1 cup dried lemon peel;
cardamom, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg.

Before starting the process, you need to prepare a glass vessel with a lid. It mixes water with alcohol, then the jar is sent to the refrigerator to cool for 3 hours. After the specified time, the vessel is removed, and a glass of dried lemon peel is sent to the finished product.

Further, the recipe for preparing vodka provides for its infusion for 6 hours in a freezer or refrigerator. Then the resulting lemon tincture is subject to distillation on the apparatus for obtaining moonshine. The number of additional components can be changed, but for 1 liter of drink it is best to put 4 g of cinnamon, 1 g of nutmeg and cardamom. Then the product is tightly closed again and sent to a warm room for half a day.

It is good to cover the vessel with a woolen blanket or place it in a preheated oven. Then the container for the same time should be placed in a cool room for complete infusion. The resulting product is filtered, for which gauze folded in several layers is used. A completely chilled drink should be tasted and, if necessary, add granulated sugar or glucose to it.

Alcohol is diluted usually in order to make the drink more suitable for ingestion. For the human body, liquids with a strength of no more than 40% are most favorable and safe. Vodka is the most famous drink with this alcohol content. This product has already become national for Russia. Foreigners associate the concept of "Russian people" with him. Vodka can not only be bought in the store, but also cooked at home in the kitchen. The basic principle of making vodka is to dilute natural alcohol with water to the desired concentration. This process is simple, it requires obligatory observance of the main factors: proportion, additives and technology.

Proportions for the correct dilution of alcohol

To make homemade vodka, two main components are needed: water and alcohol. Alcohol is usually taken with a strength of 96%. The water must be clean and free from impurities and salts. It is better to take spring water or clean ordinary tap water by passing it through a special filter. In extreme cases, you can take distilled or boil tap water. In any case, it should be transparent without foreign inclusions. Getting started, you need to clearly know how to properly dilute alcohol. The secret is as follows: the prepared components are combined in a clean container in a ratio of "2: 3". Thus, 2 parts of pure alcohol and 3 parts of prepared water are taken. Other concentrations will not give the desired result.

Flavoring and aromatic additives

Alcohol diluted with water becomes less strong, but this is not enough to get a truly high-quality product. In order for homemade vodka to be drunk easily and with pleasure, after combining the main ingredients, a little honey, sugar and citric acid can be added to the mixture. This will make the drink softer. The liquid will not burn the throat, and the honey will add a light flavor to it. This is the basic rule for those who want to understand how to properly dilute alcohol and not spoil the final product.

Cooking technology and holding time

The mixture thus obtained is not yet vodka. Those who have studied chemistry know that the mixing of liquids occurs gradually. Therefore, at first the mixture must be shaken well, and then left for 3-4 days until the product is fully ripe. This procedure is required. There is one more nuance. The reaction of the combination of water and alcohol occurs with the release of heat. But no one wants to drink warm vodka, so the container with the product must be placed in the refrigerator for the entire time of infusion. The procedure for how to properly dilute alcohol does not end there.

Finished product cleaning

In order for the prepared drink to be clean and transparent, it must be cleaned. To do this, before cooling, several tablets of activated carbon must be thrown into the container. After a few hours, the mixture must be filtered through cotton wool or a dense cloth, and only then sent for cooling. Now the description of how to properly dilute alcohol can really be considered complete.

Drinking culture

Not everyone can easily swallow 96% alcohol. It will require not only a great desire, but also long training. Experienced amateurs even developed special instructions for the consumption of undiluted alcohol. But more often in life we have to drink not pure alcohol, but various kinds of alcoholic beverages. Few people know how to drink alcohol properly. This science is quite complex and requires certain skills in the field of cooking. You need to clearly know how and what to pour this or that drink, as well as how and when to have a snack. And you also need to remember one golden rule: "Everything is good in moderation." You can drink a little good vodka, have a proper snack and feel great all evening without any consequences the next day. And you can "fill up" with champagne, overeat with chocolate and the next morning "die" from nausea and headaches. The culture of consumption of alcoholic beverages provides for the right combination of products and compliance with quantitative standards.

Desired concentration

Sometimes at hand there is not pure alcohol, but, for example, 70 percent. How to be in such a situation? How to properly dilute alcohol to get regular vodka? Everything is very simple. You need to take 100 milliliters of 70% alcohol and exactly 78 milliliters of pure water. Otherwise, the cooking technology remains the same: the products are combined together, the necessary additives are added, cleaned, allowed to brew and cooled. No one can distinguish the finished product from ordinary vodka. Sometimes, for speedy cooling, part of the water is replaced with pieces of ice of the same amount. Stirring in this case is more efficient, and the drink is cooled much faster.

Hello friends! In today's article we will talk about how to dilute alcohol with water at home. And not only up to 40 degrees, but up to any necessary fortress. I will tell you how to choose the right proportions and what water to choose. I will also show you how to make vodka. At first glance, everything is simple, but if you do not follow the mixing technology, you can get a cloudy, ugly liquid.

The idea of writing this article has matured for a long time. After all, I constantly write in my recipes that diluted alcohol can be used instead of vodka, but not everyone knows how to dilute it correctly, for example, up to 70 degrees. If you are the lucky one who has access to quality alcohol, then this article is for you. By the way, where do you get it? Tell in the comments.

What should be the alcohol

About what alcohols are described in separate article. Here we will not focus on this. I'll just say that it should be naturally drinkable, of high quality, and from trusted sources. And also absolutely transparent and without extraneous smells.

What water to use

The quality of the water used is as important as the quality of the alcohol. Okay, I turned it off. Let's say a little less, but also very, very important. I think it's unnecessary to say that water should be drinkable, clean and transparent, so let's move on to less obvious things.

The main indicator of water for us is hardness. Hardness is the amount of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) in water. It is measured in mg-eq / l. For dilution, it is necessary to use water with the lowest hardness, in other words, soft water. Otherwise, the solution will become cloudy, and it will lose its taste.

So how hard should it be? According to the publication “Technology of alcohol and alcoholic beverage production” (M. “Food industry”, 1973), water with a hardness of less than 1 mg-eq / l for natural water and less than 0.36 mg- equiv/l for softened water. We will use natural water, so we focus on 1 meq/l.

How do you know what hardness your water has, you ask? I’ll tell you now, but let’s first consider the options for what kind of water we can use.

tap water

The worst option. Such hardness can reach 7 mg-eq/l. In addition, it contains bleach, which has its own pronounced smell. I do not recommend using such water, but if you still decide, then you need to make some manipulations on it.

First, let the water stand for 3-4 hours to evaporate the bleach. Then boil the water and let it cool down. After boiling, pass through a household filter jug for water. Now there are a lot of them on sale and they do a good job of purifying water. After these procedures, the water is ready for use.

Spring water

Most sites on the Internet recommend just such water, but I would not be so categorical. It's not all that simple. As a rule, spring water is very tasty, but its composition and hardness cannot be determined without special analysis. In addition, its performance can vary greatly from time of year, heavy rains or drought.

Therefore, I cannot recommend this water. If you have a spring or well nearby, you can try using this water to make a small amount of mixture and see what happens. If it does not become cloudy and its taste suits you, then the water from this spring is suitable for use.

Purchased bottled water

This is, in my opinion, the best of the options. The chemical composition and hardness are written on the purchased bottles, so we just have to choose the water that is suitable for our purposes.

This, as I said, is water with a hardness of 1 meq/l and below. There are plenty of these for sale. I have even seen water with a hardness of 0.05 meq/l. It happens that the total hardness is not indicated on the bottle. Then you should focus on the content of Ca and Mg. It is desirable that calcium be less than 10 mg / l, and magnesium - less than 8 mg / l. At least my water has such indicators.

Distilled water

It would seem that what could be better than water purified from all impurities for diluting alcohol? This water is definitely not cloudy. But even here it is not so simple. Everything will depend on what you are going to use the resulting mixture for.

If for the further preparation of some kind of tincture, for example Peppers or Kedrovka, the taste of which is determined primarily by the ingredients included in it, then distilled water is perfect. After all, she has no taste.

For the same reason, it is not well suited for making vodka, the taste of which largely depends on the taste of water. Vodka prepared with distilled water is significantly inferior in taste to vodka made with spring or bottled water.

To summarize: for dilution, use soft bottled water with a hardness of 1 mEq / L and below.

Mixing ratio

When alcohol is mixed with water, the volume of the resulting solution decreases. That is, when adding 1 liter of water to 1 liter of alcohol, we will not get 2 liters of liquid at the outlet. The volume will be slightly smaller. This effect is called contraction and significantly complicates our calculations.

For the correct choice of proportions, it is necessary to use a special table - the Fertman table. It indicates how many ml of water must be added to 1000 ml of alcohol in order to obtain a solution of the desired concentration.

Here's it below (click on image to enlarge).

For example, to dilute 90% alcohol to 60%, add 535 ml of water to 1000 ml of alcohol.

It is worth noting that all these proportions are correct at a temperature of mixed liquids of 20 ºС. If you measure the concentration of alcohol with an alcohol meter, you should know that when the temperature changes, its readings change. A deviation of 5 degrees in temperature results in a deviation of about 1 degree in alcohol. Here's a label for 96% alcohol.

You probably noticed that the Fertman table contains data only for alcohol with a strength of 95% and below. But what if you have a stronger one?

In such cases, you can use the formula below. It calculates how much volume the mixture should have after dilution.

Formula

X= S/K*V (ml),

X is the final volume of the diluted liquid (ml)

For example, we need to dilute 500 ml of 96% alcohol to a strength of 40%. We consider: X=96/40*500=1200 ml. It turns out that we need to add water to 500 ml of alcohol until its volume increases to 1200 ml.

Hard? Then there is this option. This is a fairly approximate calculation, but for home conditions it is quite suitable.
M= SV/K-V (ml),

M - amount of water required for dilution (ml)

S - initial alcohol strength (%)

K - the required strength of the solution (%)

V - initial volume of alcohol (ml)

Example: Again we dilute 500 ml of alcohol 96% to a strength of 40%. M = 96*500/40-500 = 700 ml. It turns out that 700 ml of water must be added to 500 ml of alcohol. But the total volume of liquid will be less than 1200 ml. Remember why? That's right - contraction.

Mixing technology

Mixing alcohol and water is also not so simple. In various literature, and on many sites and forums, they write that it is right to pour alcohol into water. Say, it is necessary to pour a heavier liquid (water density 1 g / ml) into a lighter one (alcohol density 0.8 g / l), so they mix faster, and the chemical reaction proceeds correctly.

But at the same time, I have heard more than once that at distilleries they pour alcohol into water, and vice versa. And in some literature they also give a technology by which water is added to alcohol. I give an example:

In the book "Technological instructions for alcoholic beverage production", 1971. on page 65 it says:

“The calculated amount of alcohol is poured through the measuring tank into the prepared sorting vat, then water”

In the reference book "Recipes for alcoholic beverages", 1981 edition, on page 9, the following is stated about the preparation of vodka:
“Water is added to the blend and the volume of the blending vat specified by the measuring glass is adjusted”

From personal experience, I’ll say that I mixed this way and that, I didn’t notice much difference. The main thing is to adhere to the following rules:

Alcohol and water must be cooled before mixing. Alcohol can be put in the freezer, and water in the refrigerator.
You can pour both alcohol into water, and vice versa, the main thing is to pour in as quickly as possible and immediately mix well.

Alcohol diluted with water is called sorting. Freshly prepared sorting is not suitable for consumption. She needs some time to complete all the ongoing chemical reactions. Therefore, before using it, you need to defend at least a couple of days, and preferably a week. Close the bottle tightly with a stopper and store in the refrigerator.

How to make vodka from alcohol

As I said above, a mixture of alcohol and water is not yet vodka, but just a semi-finished product called sorting. But sorting acquires the usual taste of vodka only after cleaning it with coal. During carbonization, the mixture is cleaned of harmful impurities and redox reactions, after which sorting turns into vodka.

For cleaning, you can use coal sold in specialized shops for winemakers, activated carbon from a pharmacy, or a household water filter pitcher sold in supermarkets.

The proportions per 1 liter of sorting are approximately as follows - 1 tablespoon of coal from a moonshine shop, or 30 tablets of activated carbon from a pharmacy, or double filtration through a jug. Sorting should be 42%, because. after angling 2 degrees will be lost.

After filtering, to soften the taste, sugar (1 tsp per 1 liter), or glucose (20 ml of a 40% solution per 1 liter) or fructose is added to the vodka. Hydrated vinegar, glycerin, etc. are also sometimes added.

Today I do not give a detailed technological process for preparing vodka from alcohol, as this is a topic for a separate article. I will write it very soon. Subscribe to updates and it will come to your mail.

And that's about all I have for today. Prepare the right drinks and be happy.

See you again. Dorofeev Pavel.