Alcoholic proof facts for kids

Alcoholic proof tells you how much alcohol is in a drink. It measures the amount of ethanol, which is the type of alcohol found in drinks. Around the world, 100 proof usually means 50% alcohol. In the United States, the proof number is double the percentage of alcohol.

How Proof Was First Measured

This way of measuring alcohol started a long time ago. Some people say it began in the 18th century. The British story says it comes from sailors. Every day, sailors would get their share of rum. They needed to make sure it was strong enough and not watered down.

The Gunpowder Test

Sailors would test the rum using gunpowder. They would pour the alcohol onto a small bit of gunpowder. If the powder still lit up, the rum was strong enough. It had "proved" itself. If the powder did not light, it meant there was too much water. The rum was then "below proof."

Americans have a similar story from the 17th century. European traders sold strong drinks to Native Americans. The same gunpowder test was used. This led to the nickname firewater for these strong drinks. We don't know the exact strength of these drinks back then.

A "proven" drink was set at 100 degrees proof. People later found out this meant it had 57.15% ethanol. This number is still used in Great Britain. A simpler way to remember is "seven to four." This means 70 proof is about 40% alcohol.

Today, a tool called a hydrometer can measure the exact proof of a drink. This test is much more accurate now.

Alcohol Production Basics

Alcohol is made by tiny living things called yeast. This happens during a process called fermentation. Yeast eats sugar and turns it into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. This gas is what can make beer bottles fizz or even explode!

The amount of alcohol in a drink depends on how much sugar the yeast had to start with.

• In beer, alcohol is usually 3% to 12% (6 to 24 proof). Most beers are around 4% to 6% (8 to 12 proof).
• Wines can reach about 14% to 16% alcohol (28 to 32 proof). This is because too much alcohol stops the yeast from working.
• Some special "superyeast" can make drinks up to 20% alcohol.

Making Stronger Drinks

Very few tiny living things can live in strong alcohol. Yeast is one of them. It keeps making alcohol until there's no sugar left, or until the alcohol becomes too strong for even the yeast to survive.

Some wines are called "fortified." This means extra alcohol has been added to them to make them stronger.

Stronger drinks like whiskey or vodka are made using distillation. This happens after fermentation. Distillation separates the alcohol from the other parts of the drink, like grains or fruit.

How Distillation Works

When you heat a mix of liquids, the one with the lowest boiling point turns into a vapor first. Alcohol has a lower boiling point than water. But alcohol and water mix in a special way. They form a mixture that boils at an even lower temperature. This mixture is about 95% alcohol and 5% water.

So, a distilled drink usually cannot be stronger than 95% alcohol (190 proof). To get 100% alcohol, special methods are needed. These are mostly used for science or industry. Also, 100% alcohol doesn't stay 100% for long. It quickly absorbs water from the air.