How to properly dilute alcohol to... How to make excellent vodka from alcohol at home

In this material I will tell you how to properly dilute alcohol with water to obtain high-quality vodka. We will consider in detail the proportions and technology of mixing ingredients. You can easily perform all the necessary actions in your kitchen.

Producing vodka by diluting alcohol is called the “cold” production method. This method is often used even in distilleries and produces a high quality final product. The main thing is to fully comply with the mixing technology.

1. Preparation of ingredients. Let's start with alcohol. Depending on the degree of purification, ethyl alcohol is:

• first grade (96%);
• highest purity (96.2%);
• extra (96.5%);
• luxury (96.3%);
• anhydrous;
• medical.

You can use any of these alcohols, the highest quality is the Lux class, the least suitable are the highest purification. Sometimes the name can be deceiving :)

To properly dilute alcohol, we need specially prepared (corrected) water. It should be transparent and colorless. For home production of vodka, distilled water or ordinary water, but well purified with filters, is suitable. Untreated tap water is the worst option.

To improve taste, the following can also be used:

• acetic and citric acid;
• sugar;
• glucose;
• milk;
• aromatic additives.

Adding these components is not necessary, but they help soften the unpleasant aftertaste of alcohol and make homemade vodka tastier.

2. Proportions for diluting alcohol. It has been experimentally established that the ideal proportion is 2:3 (as Mendeleev himself believed). Mix two parts 96% alcohol and three parts water. But correctly mixing not the volumes of liquids, but their weight ratios, this allows you to more accurately calculate the strength of the finished vodka.

If you want to get a drink with a predetermined strength, for example, 40, 55 or 60 degrees, Fertman’s table will help with this.

Attention! When diluting, you should pour alcohol into water, but not vice versa.

Counting in progress...

Enter the initial data on the left

For getting after dilution,
need to add water

3. Cleaning. To improve the quality of the prepared vodka, you should throw a few tablets of activated carbon into it and leave it for a couple of hours at a temperature of 22°C. Then strain the solution through a thick cloth.

4. Adding other ingredients. Honey, sugar, glucose, orange or lemon juice help soften the taste of prepared vodka. The proportions depend on taste, but the main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise you will get a tincture instead of vodka.

5. Advocacy. Diluted alcohol will become suitable for consumption after 7 days. During this time, all chemical reactions will stop, and the finished vodka will delight you with its taste. The vodka is distilled from alcohol in a dark room with a temperature above 4°C. After aging, the drink can be bottled, its production process is complete.

Stas provided us with his own version of sorting - mixing alcohol with water, especially for Alkofan.

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 was precisely this “disappearance” of volume that D. Mendeleev studied. It is possible to obtain 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 use spring water to dilute alcohol. But if there is no such water, then you can take tap water, which must be passed through purification filters.

1.25 liters of 96% alcohol is poured into a three-liter glass container. To it add 40.0 ml of a 40% glucose solution (can be bought at a pharmacy) and one teaspoon (5.0 ml) of vinegar essence. After this, water is poured into the container with alcohol to the three liter mark.

If desired, you can add honey, citric acid and sugar 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 sit for 72 hours.

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

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

In addition, ascorbic acid and softening additives (sugar, glucose, orange juice) can be added to the resulting mixture of alcohol and water. You should not add baking soda or oil-rich foods to the resulting vodka, because after drinking such alcohol in the morning you will be guaranteed a severe headache.

After diluting the 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: quickly 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 the carafe. Shake the mixture vigorously and cool. To quickly cool the mixture, you can replace 100.0 ml of water with finely crushed ice prepared from the same amount of water.

Dilution to the desired degree - the poke method

It is based on a clear principle: take some water, add moonshine, and measure the strength. How many more? They poured water into another bowl, added what had already been diluted a little, and looked on the alcohol meter readings. If necessary, the procedure was repeated until the desired result was achieved.

Dilution table

There is a special table indicating how much alcohol and water should you take? to get the correct proportion. Our grandmothers and grandfathers used such tables (most often handwritten).

Example: for diluting 1 liter. the existing 95% alcohol to 40% must be added to 1443 ml of water.

Calculators for moonshiners

There are many free moonshiner calculators on the Internet. There are small calculators that you can download to your PC or smartphone. The advantage is that such a calculator can be used in the future even without an internet connection.

Therefore, in areas where there are problems with the Internet (unstable connection, slow operation), it is convenient to use just this one. But it’s no less convenient to use an online calculator by making a bookmark for yourself.

Formula for diluting moonshine with water

You can try to properly dilute moonshine with water without a table or online calculator. To do this, use quite a simple formula.

Divide the strength of alcohol that you have by the strength that you need in the end. Multiply the resulting number by the amount of moonshine you have (in ml). And now subtract the amount of alcohol in ml.

The formula in literal expression looks like this:

A: B x C - C = D

• A is the initial strength of moonshine.
• B is the strength that needs to be obtained.
• C is the amount of alcohol present in ml.
• D is the amount of water to be added per ml.

Let's assume that A - 80, B - 50, C - 1000. A: B = 1.6 x 1000 = 1600 - 1000 = 600 ml. That is, you need to take 600 ml of water into a clean bowl and pour a liter of your strong moonshine into it.

So you will get the right degree.

It will tell you, down to tenths, how much water you need to add to the alcohol you have.

Mistakes when diluting moonshine with water

If you made a mistake and made the moonshine too low, only re-distillation will help. Don’t forget: for fire safety purposes, dilute the distillation liquid to at least 20°.

Cloudiness and even loss of flakes can be caused not only by hard water or improper dilution, but also by the quality of moonshine, which contains too much. And it’s good that they precipitated! Several strainings using filter paper, cotton pads or cotton wool - and you have pure moonshine of the desired strength.

Useful videos

How to dilute moonshine with water, why it becomes cloudy when diluted and what to do to prevent this from happening, see:

It would seem that what could be simpler than turning alcohol into vodka? However, before diluting alcohol to 40 degrees, it is necessary to study the main nuances and select high-quality components. It all depends on what you have at home. We will tell you how to proceed and consider the main aspects in order. Let's get started!

How to dilute alcohol to 40 degrees - ingredients

Knowing how to properly dilute alcohol is only half the battle. You need to select all the ingredients to get a 40-degree drink at home.

Water

The basis of the basics. Distilled, boiled, and flow-through will not work. Take store-bought bottled water. The main thing is that it has few salts (% on the bottle). It is also allowed to use a well or spring.

Alcohol

To obtain vodka, only ethyl alcohol is used. It can have different strengths (%), the table is given below. Before the main manipulations, use an aerometer to measure the strength. In the future, based on this, you will calculate the proportions.

Glucose

Before diluting the alcohol to 40 degrees and getting a soft drink, you need to boil the syrup and add glucose to it. At home, this is done like this: combine water with granulated sugar in the same ratio. Cook until foam stops forming. Then add 5 grams. glucose for every 100 ml. syrup.

Regarding additional components, you can choose them to suit your taste (spices, berries, herbs, etc.).

Important!

The legislation of the Russian Federation does not prohibit making alcohol or distilling moonshine for your own needs. But you cannot sell the final drink.

Stages of diluting alcohol to 40 degrees

You cannot thoughtlessly pour water into alcohol and then drink it immediately. Stick to consistency.

No. 1. Mixing

Before mixing the ingredients together, make sure that their temperature is approximately equal to and does not exceed room temperature. Prepare the container, pour in water, then syrup (30-40 ml per 1 liter of final drink). Alcohol is added at the end. If you break this sequence, the drink will become cloudy and lose quality.

No. 2. Cleaning

After mixing the ingredients, activated carbon is added to them. For 1 l. 10 units of absorbent are allocated (pre-crushed into powder). You need to stir the ingredients until they dissolve.

No. 3. Infusion

It's time to leave the drink in the dark for a day. Next, it is passed through a self-made cotton-gauze filter. Now the crystal clear liquid is bottled and sealed. The infusion continues for another week in the refrigerator.

Important!

When considering how to dilute alcohol to 40 degrees, it is necessary to clarify one important point. At home, the infusion process lasts at least a week. You cannot connect the components and assume that everything is ready.

Fertman table for calculating proportions when diluting alcohol

It is impossible to dilute alcohol at random. Chemist G.I. Fertman developed a table to accurately determine the volume of water and alcohol.

Fertman table

How to use the table:

1. In the column on the left, select an indicator characteristic of the strength of your drink.

2. In the upper horizontal bar you determine the degree of the final drink (in your case it is 40%).

3. Find the point of intersection of these lines; in the square you will see how much water (ml) needs to be added to the alcohol.

Example 1:

You have 1 l. alcohol 90% strength. To make the final drink 40%, you need to combine 1 liter. alcohol with 1306 ml. water.

Example 2:

To get 40% vodka from 500 ml. 90% alcohol, the required amount of water is calculated as follows: 1306/2 = 653 ml.

Types and quality of alcohol

Before diluting alcohol to 40 degrees, you should familiarize yourself with its types and quality. Only a few variations are suitable for preparing strong drinks at home.

No. 1. "Alpha"

1. Preparation is carried out from rye or wheat grains. A distinctive feature from the rest is that potatoes are not used in cooking.

2. Due to this feature, the composition contains the lowest level of methanol. As many people know, the latter is the strongest poison. It provokes the development of blindness and even leads to death.

3. After the alcohol is made, it undergoes multi-level filtration. The basis is water of the highest quality. Alpha class alcohol is used to make the best vodka and other strong drinks.

No. 2. "Lux"

1. Also of high quality. The difference from the previous version is that potatoes are used in production. Accordingly, it contains more methanol than Alpha.

2. The type of alcohol in question is made from wheat grains. The liquid is then subjected to multi-level filtration.

No. 3. "Extra"

1. The production remains the same; it is based on wheat grains. However, the potato content in the composition reaches 57%. Because of this, the level of methanol becomes significant.

No. 4. "Higher purification"

1. When creating strong drinks, highly purified alcohol is often used. It is low filtered.

2. The point is that such alcohol contains a large amount of harmful oils and esters. Therefore, the final drink will be of low quality.

Common mistakes

When wondering how to dilute alcohol to 40 degrees, you should know some subtleties. Thanks to this, you will be able to avoid common mistakes at home.

No. 1. Incorrect mixing of components

Remember, alcohol is poured into water, no other way. Otherwise, a cloudy composition with a distinct aroma will come out. Vodka tastes disgusting.

No. 2. Low quality water

If you do not want to get a cloudy and hard drink, do not pour in running water. Give preference to high-quality bottled.

No. 3. Infusion with the lid open

Since diluting alcohol with water is not difficult, resort to a little trick to get high-quality vodka. Infuse the drink with the lid closed. Otherwise, some substances will evaporate along with oxygen to the detriment of quality.

No. 4. Auxiliary components

No. 5. Alcohol quality

The most serious mistake is that low quality alcohol is initially used. It's not just a matter of taste. A low-quality composition can seriously harm your health.

After reading this, you will no longer have the question of how to dilute alcohol to 40 degrees. Instead of vodka, you can make an unusual strong drink. Experiment at home, but not with methyl alcohol. It is considered poisonous to the human body.

Today, the range of alcohol display cases is pleasingly diverse. The only sad thing is that behind a beautiful label, decent quality is not always presented. More and more consumers prefer preparing high-quality strong drinks at home, and, it is worth noting, they are in no way inferior to factory ones, and, sometimes, even surpass them.

How to dilute alcohol with water to make high-quality vodka?

To prepare such alcohol, you need to know how to dilute alcohol with water to get high-quality vodka. This technology does not require special equipment or additional costs. It will be enough to purchase high-quality alcohol at the pharmacy and prepare distilled water. If you approach this issue with all seriousness, then you need to perform a few simple manipulations in advance:

1. Prepare a container in which the concentrate will be diluted directly and then the finished drink will be stored. The containers need to be washed well and better sterilized so that you do not have to later remove debris and foreign inclusions from the resulting product, and thereby not spoil its appearance.
2. Make room in the refrigerator for infusion.
3. Consider a further storage method and choose a storage location (in case of large volumes).

After all the preparatory aspects have been thought out and completed, you can proceed directly to the process of diluting alcohol.

How to dilute alcohol to vodka: table with proportions

To obtain a drink of excellent quality, you need to know how to properly dilute alcohol to get good vodka. Mendeleev also derived exact proportions for such a process. It should be diluted at a ratio of 2:3, that is, 200 mg of ethanol to 300 mg of water. It is very important to remember: you need to add the concentrate itself to the prepared water, but not vice versa. In order not to be mistaken with the number of components, and to know exactly how to dilute alcohol to the concentration of vodka, you can use Fertman’s table:

In order for the finished liquid to be transparent, like a tear, you need to pre-cool the water.

It must be remembered that the ideal strength of vodka is 40º. It is possible to achieve such a result when diluting alcohol, if you correctly take into account its type. Do not forget that you should use only food-grade ethyl alcohol for these purposes. Among the selected varieties, preference should be given to such as: Basis, Extra, Lux and Alpha. The last one listed above is considered the most purified and is used in the production of high-quality elite alcohol. Types such as first grade and highly purified alcohol cannot be used categorically in the production of alcoholic beverages. Vodka based on them is called “palenka”, and it is this vodka that can cause serious alcohol poisoning, even death.

Therefore, following the suggested tips on how to dilute food alcohol with water to obtain the strength of vodka, it is important to use only a high-quality starting product, the suitability of which is beyond doubt.

After the required amount of alcohol has been added to the prepared water, you need to mix the resulting liquid well. To do this, you will need to turn the dishes upside down and shake well.

After completing the mixing procedure, the solution should be allowed to stand for 30 minutes, and then sent to settle in the refrigerator. The mixture should remain there for at least a day, then you can continue storing it there or in a cool, dark place. It is not advisable for the temperature to be below + 4º C.

The container for prepared vodka, which will not be used in the near future, should be of small volume (preferably several cans or bottles), tightly sealed to prevent air from entering. The container must be filled to the very top to avoid evaporation of alcohol.

Sometimes there are situations in which the question arises of how to dilute pharmaceutical medical alcohol to the strength of vodka. After all, just such a solution is found in almost every home, in the medicine cabinet. In this case, you can follow the same path, but do not waste time infusing in the refrigerator. To soften the taste of homemade vodka, you can use citrus fruits (lemon or orange). It is enough to carefully squeeze their juice into the resulting mixture. The aroma of these fruits gives the drink a pleasant taste and delicate aroma.

How to dilute medical and food alcohol with water to the strength of vodka?

Alcohol is diluted with water not only for internal use. For example, to prepare a body rub, it also needs to be diluted. If you rub the concentrate into the skin, there is a risk of getting burns. Sometimes the same recommendations are used for this as if you need to dilute rubbing alcohol with water to make vodka. That is, you need to bring the strength to 40º using the table, and then add all the necessary ingredients.

There are many recipes for preparing medicinal tinctures or solutions for lotions, which are also prepared on the basis of alcohol. You can also often find a variety of C2H6O-based cleaning products that you can prepare yourself.

It is also worth noting that the sale of homemade vodka is naturally prohibited, so its production should not go beyond the boundaries of the apartment or house. Knowledge of how to properly dilute medical alcohol into vodka does not give the right to distribute or sell it. To avoid unpleasant incidents, it is better to drink only your own drink or one prepared by those you can trust.

Basically, if you follow the above recommendations and learn how to dilute food alcohol to the concentration of vodka, then by observing the proportions and getting a quality product, you can completely abandon store-bought analogues. After all, in this case you can be confident in the quality of what you have prepared yourself. Knowing what the drink consists of and under what conditions it was produced, you don’t have to worry about your own health.

If the drink does not have foreign additives, then its shelf life is practically unlimited, but if natural flavors or other additives are used, then the storage duration must be controlled.

And, of course, we should not forget that when creating something for yourself or your loved ones, first of all, everyone puts their soul into this process.