Diluting alcohol at home. How to properly dilute alcohol for internal consumption

It's no secret that today it is very easy to get poisoned by alcoholic beverages purchased in a store. Neither laws on mandatory certification nor product quality checks can save us. Somewhere at some stage of production or trade, an enterprising “slickster” appeared - and “write - it’s gone”!

The ideal option is not to drink alcohol at all. A good way to protect yourself is to purchase alcohol-containing drinks at an expensive price - of high quality and in trusted, reputable supermarkets. But what if both of these options are unacceptable for a person?

Then the only way out is to make vodka at home if you have proven quality. But in order to dilute alcohol, you also need certain knowledge and skills.

If a person knows correctly, then he can make at home not only primitive vodka, but also other drinks containing alcohol as a base. For example, 40% vodka with the addition of seasonings (cloves, vanillin, nutmeg), aged for half a month on oak bark, will turn into a cognac drink.

And if you dilute the alcohol with juice to 18%, you can get a very tasty drink reminiscent of port wine or vermouth. Make it sweeter and you get liqueur. If you dilute the alcohol with tarragon or a strong herbal decoction, you can enjoy the balm.

Before diluting alcohol, you need to thoroughly purify the water. Under no circumstances should you use tap water! It contains too many salts and other impurities, so the solution of alcohol and water may become cloudy. You can dilute alcohol with distilled water or boiled and cooled to 20 degrees. Water obtained by melting ice can also be considered distilled.

Activated carbon can also be used. Several tablets should be thrown into a jar of water, leave the mixture at 22 degrees for three hours, then strain through several layers of gauze.

Sometimes flavoring additives are added to purified water before diluting the alcohol. These can be acetic and citric acid, milk, flavorings, as well as sugar, glucose or honey. It should be remembered that these supplements should not be overused. For example, a tablespoon of acid per three liters of finished product is enough, and no more than 40 grams of honey or glucose.

The quality of the alcohol plays a major role in this process. Luxury class alcohols were recognized as the best, with medical and “highest purity” alcohols in second place.

Please remember before diluting alcohol that:

1. It is not water that is poured into alcohol, but alcohol into water;
2. dilution should be done at a temperature of 20 degrees;
3. diluted alcohol should be left for a week in the dark and cool (temperature not lower than 4 degrees);
4. aging only improves the taste of the drink;
5. the proportions for diluting alcohol can be found in Fertman’s table, but you can use the ratio 2:3;
6. the best option is to measure the strength of the resulting drink with a special device - an alcohol meter;
7. When the solution becomes cloudy, add activated carbon to it, settle and filter.

But the most important rule, which applies to all people dealing with alcoholic beverages, is that, in addition to quality, the quantity drunk is also of great importance! Don't forget about this...

Alcohol is usually diluted to make a drink more suitable for internal consumption. The most favorable and safest liquids for the human body are those with a strength of no more than 40%. Vodka is the most famous drink with this alcohol content. This product has already become national for Russia. Foreigners associate the concept of “Russian man” with him. You can not only buy vodka in the store, but also prepare it 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 mandatory compliance with the main factors: proportion, additives and technology.

Proportions for proper dilution of alcohol

To make homemade vodka, you need two main components: water and alcohol. Alcohol is usually taken at 96% strength. The water must be clean without foreign impurities and salts. It is better to take spring water or purify regular tap water by passing it through a special filter. As a last resort, you can take distilled or boil tap water. In any case, it should be transparent without foreign inclusions. Before starting work, you need to clearly know how to properly dilute alcohol. The secret is this: the prepared components are combined in a clean container in a 2:3 ratio. Thus, take 2 parts of pure alcohol and 3 parts of prepared water. 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. To make homemade vodka easy and enjoyable to drink, after combining the main ingredients, you can add a little honey, sugar and citric acid to the mixture. This will make the drink softer. The liquid will not burn your throat, and honey will add a light aroma 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 obtained in this way is not yet vodka. Those who have studied chemistry know that mixing of liquids occurs gradually. Therefore, first the mixture must be shaken thoroughly and then left for 3-4 days until the product is completely ripe. This procedure is required. There is one more nuance. The reaction of combining water and alcohol occurs with the release of heat. But no one will want to drink warm vodka, so the container with the product must be placed in the refrigerator for the entire infusion time. The procedure for how to properly dilute alcohol does not end here.

Finished Product Cleaning

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

Drinking culture

Not everyone can easily swallow 96% alcohol. This requires not only great desire, but also long training. Experienced amateurs have even developed special instructions for consuming undiluted alcohol. But more often in life we ​​have to drink not pure alcohol, but various types of alcoholic drinks. Few people know how to drink alcohol correctly. 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 into, as well as what and when to snack on it. And you also need to remember one golden rule: “Everything is good in moderation.” You can drink a little good vodka, have a healthy snack and feel great all evening without consequences the next day. Or you can “get enough” of champagne, overeat with chocolate and the next morning “die” from nausea and headache. The culture of drinking alcoholic beverages involves the correct combination of products and compliance with quantitative standards.

Desired concentration

Sometimes you have on hand not pure alcohol, but, for example, 70 percent alcohol. What to do 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 clean 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 will be able to distinguish the finished product from ordinary vodka. Sometimes, to speed up cooling, part of the water is replaced with pieces of ice of the same amount. In this case, stirring is more efficient and the drink cools much faster.

If there is alcohol, there will be vodka. It would seem that nothing could be simpler? However, it is not. In order to obtain high-quality vodka from alcohol, you need to comply with several rules and requirements. And in order to get a product no worse than in the store, you need high-quality ingredients. It all depends on what kind of alcohol you have and what you want to get. Read on to find out how to do this...

The technology is very simple, and the result is a high-quality drink no worse than the factory one, suitable for consumption. And it’s not just about good alcohol. The secret of success is quality ingredients, correct proportions, adherence to technology.

In addition, the following can be used as additives:

• flavorings;
• sugar syrup;
• herbs;
• spices;
• berries;
• fruits.

These can be any components that make the drink healthy and tasty. And if you have high-quality alcohol, then making vodka at home is very simple!

Attention! Currently in Russia there is no law prohibiting moonshine and the production of alcoholic beverages for one’s own needs. The main condition is not to sell!

Ingredients:

• Water. Its quality is of great importance. Ordinary water is not suitable, as well as boiled and distilled water. It does not contain the necessary substances, reacts poorly with alcohol, and does not have the desired taste. And tap water is too contaminated with chemical components and salts. The best option is spring or well water, but it is not always available. Therefore, bottled water with a low salt content is quite suitable (pay attention to the packaging). The softness of the water is very important; the softer it is, the higher the quality of the drink. If you still have to use tap water, it should be passed through a filter and then frozen. This will be enough to obtain the liquid of the required quality.
• Alcohol. When making homemade vodka, it is permissible to use only ethyl alcohol. You can also use medical. They differ from each other at the micro level, but there are no fundamental differences. Before starting the preparation process, you need to measure the alcohol strength with an aerometer to determine the proportions of alcohol and water.
• Glucose. It is highly advisable to use glucose; it will give it characteristic softness and a pleasant taste. For this, syrup is prepared. Mix sugar and water in equal proportions and bring to a boil. Any foam that forms should be removed. The foam has stopped appearing - the syrup is ready. Glucose is added to the mixture in a proportion of 50 g per 1 liter.
• Mixing. It is very important to mix the ingredients in exactly the right order, otherwise the drink will turn out to be of poor quality and cloudy. The temperature of the ingredients should be no more than room temperature. First, water is added to the container, then glucose and additional components (if any), then alcohol.
• Cleaning. When the components are already mixed, crushed activated carbon is added in a proportion of 10 tablets per liter of drink. Everything is mixed until completely dissolved. Now the mixture should be infused in a dark place for at least a day. After which the drink is filtered through a filter made of gauze and cotton wool (you can use thick fabric). The output is a clean, transparent liquid. Now it needs to be poured into bottles and tightly closed. After this, leave for at least another week.

Attention! Simply mixing all the ingredients is not enough. In order for the prepared liquid to become a full-fledged drink, it must be infused for at least a week to complete the processes and for a good taste. The drink is stored in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container.

Watch the video that tells you how to make vodka 40 degrees from alcohol:

Calculation of ratios using the Fertman table

To prepare a good alcoholic drink, you need to know how to correctly calculate the proportions. A special table has been created for this. It was developed by chemist G.I. Fertman in order to obtain the optimal ratio of alcohol and water.

Fertman table

Strength of original alcohol (1000 ml)%	Required strength of the finished drink, %
	90	85	80	75	70	65	60	55	50	45	40	35	30
95	64	133	209	295	391	501	629	779	957	1174	1443	1785	2239
90		65	138	218	310	414	535	677	847	1052	1306	1630	2061
85			68	144	231	329	443	578	738	932	1172	1478	1884
80				72	153	246	353	480	630	812	1039	1327	1709
75					76	163	264	382	532	694	906	1177	1535
70						81	175	285	417	577	774	1027	1360
65							88	190	311	460	644	878	1189
60								95	207	344	514	730	1017
55									103	229	384	583	845
50										114	255	436	674
45											127	290	505
40												144	335
35													167

This table is very easy to use. The left vertical column indicates the strength of the original alcohol, and the numbers located horizontally indicate the desired degree of the finished drink. At the intersection of the columns you will see the required amount of water in ml.

For example: From 1 liter of 95% alcohol you need to get a drink with a strength of 40%. To do this, mix 1 liter of alcohol and 1443 ml of water. If the goal is a less strong drink, for example 30%, then the amount of water needs to be increased, it will be 2239 ml.

If you have 0.5 liters of 95% alcohol, then, accordingly, to obtain 40% vodka you need 14403:2 = 721.5 ml of water. Based on the table, you can calculate the proportions for any amount of starting alcohol.

You can also use a special alcohol calculator online. It is enough to enter the amount of alcohol available, its strength (measure in advance), and the required percentage after preparation. The program will give you the required amount of water.

Types and quality of alcohol

There are many types of alcohols, they differ in quality, ingredients and other indicators.

The quality of alcohol is influenced by two factors:

1. What raw materials is it made from?
2. How is it cleaned?

High quality brands are made from grains - rye, wheat, oats. Alcohol can also be produced from carbohydrate-rich corn, potatoes, molasses (black molasses), beets, and fruits, but the end result will be of worse quality.

Food alcohol is divided into grades depending on the raw materials it is made from:

• Potato.
• Fruit.
• Grain.

For whiskey production, grain varieties made from corn, barley, wheat, and rye are selected.

Potato alcohol contains a large amount of harmful impurities and hydrocyanic acid, which is why in the Russian Federation and European countries it is prohibited for use in the production of alcohol in its pure form.

To obtain these varieties, the rectification method is not used, and therefore calling them alcohols can be very conditional. The quality of the final product is improved by double distillation, and sometimes triple distillation, during which separation into fractions occurs.

According to the stage of production, alcohol is divided into:

• Raw. It has a low strength. It is the result of distillation. A homemade analogue of raw moonshine, which also contains many harmful impurities, fusel oil.
• Rectificate. The overwhelming majority is raw material passed through a distillation column, which, as a result of such manipulation, is cleared of unnecessary components and acquires a strength of 97%.
• Ethyl drinking. Rectified product diluted with water.

The production of alcohol is regulated by GOST 51652-2000, according to which ethanol is divided into degrees of purification. But only four of them are used for preparing alcoholic beverages.

Alpha

Refers to ethyl alcohols, prepared from wheat or rye grains. But most importantly, no potatoes are used in its production. This means that Alpha alcohol contains the smallest amount of methanol. As you know, methanol is a powerful poison that can lead to blindness and even death. After production, Alpha alcohol undergoes multi-level purification and contains only high quality water. Alpha is used for the production of Premium and Super-class vodkas.

Lux

It belongs to high quality alcohols, but in its production they use potato card, up to 35%. This means that the methanol content in it will be higher than in Alpha. The alcohol itself is made from wheat grain and undergoes multi-level purification.

Extra

Also made from wheat grains, but the potato content here reaches 60%. This means the presence of methanol increases. Extra refers to alcohols of general consumption. It is of lower quality than Premium.

Highest purification

It is also used in the vodka industry, and in principle can be used in the production of homemade vodka. But it undergoes minimal filtration and contains many esters and fusel oils. And consequently, the quality of the drink will be low.

Alcohol classified as first grade is not used for the production of alcoholic beverages.

According to GOST, none of the varieties of these products should have a strong taste. However, when buying vodka in a store, you will notice that each brand has its own special aroma and taste, even if it belongs to the “pure” varieties without additives. This is due to the fact that vodka is a mixture of several types of alcohol in different proportions, hence the differences. Manufacturers never indicate the ratio and types of alcohol used to create their products.

A savvy buyer who knows the difference in brands of ethanol alcohol, having read on the bottle that alcoholic products are made from highly purified alcohol, understands that the quality of the liquid inside is the lowest, despite its price.

Common Mistakes

1. Incorrect mixing sequence, namely when water is poured into alcohol, and not vice versa. The result is a cloudy liquid that smells strongly of alcohol. The taste of such vodka will also be far from ideal.
2. Poor water quality. If water with undesirable impurities and a high amount of salts or unpurified water is used, the finished drink will be cloudy and hard.
3. Uncovered container during settling. When a liquid comes into contact with oxygen, many substances evaporate, and the finished drink loses its quality.
4. Too many additional ingredients. This can lead to a loss of strength, the taste of the drink may be too sweet with a strong fruity or spicy smell. Instead of vodka, you can get liqueur.
5. Poor quality alcohol. This is the most serious mistake, the consequences of which can be very serious.

Attention! Under no circumstances should you use methyl (technical) alcohol. This is a very strong poison.

Additional Ingredients

Herbs, spices and berries can be used as additional ingredients.

The most suitable berries:

• Cherry. Sour dark varieties of cherries are added to alcoholic drinks; sweet and light varieties and cherries are not suitable. Vodka infused with cherries is very clear and has a specific taste and smell.
• Cranberry delicate and aromatic berry of bright red color. The drink will be fragrant and tasty.
• Rowan Ideal for infusion, although it is slightly bitter. It is better to use black-fruited varieties, they are softer in taste and have less bitterness.
• Black currant. Gives a specific aroma, makes the drink more fragrant.
• Raspberries. An excellent berry for infusing vodka. Gives the drink a bright color and delicate aroma.
• Blackberry. Gives a pungent taste and bright color. The aroma of the berry makes the drink more refined and noble.
• Gooseberry red and yellow varieties. Since the berries have a thick skin, they are crushed before adding to vodka, and after the tincture is ready, the liquid is filtered.
• Berry mix. Cherry, black currant, rowan are an excellent combination of berries for infusing homemade alcohol. However, this combination can lower the strength of the drink and give it a rich berry taste and aroma.

• Carnation. It has a strong aroma, but the main thing here is not to overdo it.
• Nineforce. The herb has a bitter taste and a specific odor.
• Ginger. A spice rich in essential oils with a fresh, slightly pungent aroma.
• Cinnamon Perfect for infusing vodka, giving it softness and delicate aroma.
• Melissa makes vodka very aromatic with a fresh smell.
• Vanilla. To prepare tinctures, they use only a natural product, something that is sold in bags and is called “vanillin” - the result of the chemical industry, which will only spoil the vodka. But even with real vanilla you should follow the dosage.
• Anise. A close relative of dill, its seeds give vodka its sweet flavor notes and rich aroma.
• Verbena. Flowers and roots are used to make alcohol.
• Coriander. Another representative of the umbrella family, it contains essential oils in high concentration, due to which it completely eliminates the alcoholic smell of vodka and softens the taste.
• Bay leaf. A common kitchen seasoning added to vodka turns it into a tincture with an interesting and piquant aroma and a slight spicy bitterness; the main thing is not to overdo it with the quantity.
• Sagebrush. The grass must be collected before it blooms. It adds a bitter taste and is classified as a medicinal plant, but can cause allergies.
• Thyme. Its small flowers, added to vodka, will give the drink their light, delicate aroma.
• Caraway. Ideal for creating a fiery taste and spicy aroma in a drink.

Any tincture must be saturated with the spices or herbs included in its composition for a certain time, then the liquid is filtered and bottled for storage, in which it must remain in its “pure” form for some time at cold temperatures. This way its taste will become complete and complete.

Terms and conditions of storage

The shelf life of “pure” vodka is practically unlimited; the main thing is to keep it in a dark place at a temperature of +5-25°C and make sure that the liquid does not become cloudy or form sediment. But various impurities reduce the time allotted for consumption to 1-2 years. This applies to both home and industrial products.

Homemade vodka or drinks based on it should be stored in glass or ceramic containers with a tight lid. Ideally, these will be hermetically sealed bottles indicating the year of manufacture. Plastic containers are absolutely not suitable for these purposes.

Be that as it may, store-bought alcohol will never compare with a drink prepared with your own hands. After all, not only high-quality components are invested there, but also time, effort, and a piece of the soul. And if you follow all the tips given, your drink will be much better than any expensive vodka. It will be much tastier and better quality.

To prepare most tinctures and other homemade alcoholic drinks, you do not need 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 mess it up. At the same time, for tinctures, as a rule, you do not need 40% vodka. As you know, alcohol is a good solvent, therefore, the higher its content in the liquid, the more it extracts 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%, unless we are talking about selected drinks, for example, Limoncello, which must initially be infused with pure alcohol. The process of diluting alcohol with water is called the “cold” production method 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 adherence to technology is very welcome here.

How to dilute alcohol correctly?

It would seem that it could be simpler than diluting alcohol - mixing 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%, highly purified - 96.2%, "extra" - 96.5%, "luxury" - 96.3%, medical and dry (anhydrous) ). The degree of alcohol purification directly depends on the type. And the variety of species is related to what exactly alcohol is obtained from (from what grain).

Secondly, the water for breeding must be taken in the purest, completely transparent, so to speak - without color, taste or 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 called “corrected water.” At home, to dilute alcohol, it is best to purchase distilled water at a pharmacy, but under no circumstances take regular water from the kitchen tap.

How to dilute alcohol without risk to health?

The alcohol is diluted with water and other ingredients to obtain vodka. Making your own drink is practically no different from factory technology. 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 the use, according to your taste, of various additives and without the risk of getting poisoned by burnt vodka. How to properly dilute alcohol will be discussed in the article.

Preparing Ingredients

Alcohol

Technologists call the preparation of vodka from alcohol by diluting it in water the “cold method.” This operation is often used at distilleries. The technology is proven, proven, and economical. The dilution results in a high-quality food product with a known intoxicating effect. In this process, the main thing is to follow the order of mixing all the ingredients step by step. But first we need to prepare them.

Select alcohol from the list below:

• 96.5% – extra;
• 96.3% – luxury;
• 96.2% – highly purified;
• 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 highly purified alcohol. (Don’t be surprised - it’s true that a hundredth of a percent is very important!)

Water

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

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

Supplements

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

The use of these ingredients depends only on your taste preferences. If you like “bitter”, real and scalding, “so that it warms” - do not use additives. If you like a product that is “soft, so it goes on its own,” experiment, adding a little at a time, and come up with your ideal recipe.

We do it according to the formula

To get 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 required strength
• P– this is the volume of alcohol we have in milliliters
• N– this is the strength of the existing alcohol that 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 available alcohol) at 40 (the strength 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 of not 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 would like to receive 40 proof vodka, by diluting alcohol, then you should mix a liter of alcohol with 1440 ml of water. Often, less strong drinks are 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 you add 780 ml of water to a liter of alcohol, you get an alcoholic drink with a strength of 55% .

To obtain a drink with a strength 60 degrees, you need to combine 1000 ml of pure alcohol with 630 ml of water. How strong do you think the drink will be by 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, viz. 75% , 80% , 85% And 90% are 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 above manipulations, you can often get a fairly large volume of an alcoholic drink, which may turn out to be unnecessary. We believe that in this case it would be appropriate to tell you in what proportions you should combine water and alcohol to get a liter of drink (plus/minus 50 ml).

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

A 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% -nogo drink.

Well, now, in order...

Diluting 316 ml of alcohol with 707 ml of water will allow you to prepare a low-alcohol drink ( 30% ). Drink 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% . A liter, or rather a little more, 70% This drink can be easily obtained by mixing 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.

Advocacy

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

Once the solution has settled, you can safely begin preparing various tinctures or other alcoholic drinks at home.

Recipes

Spiced vodka

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

Next, the recipe requires measuring the distillate and adding 5 g of cinnamon to each liter. Nutmeg and cardamom add 1 g each. For a richer taste, spices are sprinkled in larger quantities. Then the vodka, aromatic additives and alcohol are tightly closed and stored in a warm room. The bottle can simply be wrapped in a blanket or placed in a hot oven for 11 hours.

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

"Pepper" do it yourself

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

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

To prevent peppercorns and cloves from floating in the container, they can be placed in a red pod. The seeds are taken out from the vegetable cut lengthwise and the void is filled with the necessary components. The pod is thrown into a jar and after 3 – 5 days the drink is tasted.

Vodka-Kedrovka

The recipe for this drink is also not complicated. You will need half a kilo of unshelled 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:

1. boil the nuts for 5 minutes, then change the water and extend the boiling for another 5 minutes;
2. throw the nuts into a colander and wait for the water to drain;
3. cedar fruits are placed in vodka.

Two-in-one drink – vodka-cognac

The following recipe requires a more substantial 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 leaf tea – 1 tsp.

The ingredients are collected into a total mass and the pan is placed on low heat. Cover the container with a transparent lid and seal the hole with bread crumb. Just before boiling, the flavored vodka alpha is removed from the stove and taken out to cool. Once cooled, it is strained through cheesecloth, bottled and placed in a refrigeration unit.

Lemon spirit vodka

A soft refreshing drink is made from alpha vodka (400 ml), one lemon and water (600 ml). The citrus fruit is doused with boiling water, wiped and the peel is removed using a knife. The zest is finely chopped 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. The vodka infusion is divided equally. One part is diluted with lemon juice, the other is poured into a bottle with zest. The jars are closed and taken out for 2 weeks in a dark, dry place. The drinks are filtered and tasted.

This recipe can be improved by additionally distilling vodka through a still and diluting it with sugar syrup. Any alpha vodka can be easily made without moonshine “technique”. It is recommended to infuse the alcoholic mixture in a cold place for at least 14 days, filter and incubate for another 3 days.

Unusual way

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

To obtain 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. Water and alcohol are mixed in it, 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 zest is added to the finished product.

Next, the recipe for making vodka involves infusing it for 6 hours in the freezer or refrigerator. Then the resulting lemon tincture is subject to distillation in a still to produce moonshine. The amount of additional ingredients can be changed, but for 1 liter of drink it is best to add 4 g of cinnamon, 1 g each 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 should be placed in a cool room for the same time to fully infuse. The resulting product is filtered using gauze folded in several layers. You should try the completely cooled drink and, if necessary, add granulated sugar or glucose.

The alcohol is diluted with water and other ingredients to obtain vodka. Making your own drink is practically no different from factory technology. 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 the use, according to your taste, of various additives and without the risk of getting poisoned by burnt vodka. How to properly dilute alcohol will be discussed in the article.

Preparing Ingredients

Alcohol

Technologists call the preparation of vodka from alcohol by diluting it in water the “cold method.” This operation is often used at distilleries. The technology is proven, proven, and economical. The dilution results in a high-quality food product with a known intoxicating effect.

In this process, the main thing is to follow the order of mixing all the ingredients step by step. But first we need to prepare them. Select alcohol from the list below:

• 96.5% - extra;
• 96.3% - luxury;
• 96.2% - highly purified;
• 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 highly purified alcohol. (Don’t be surprised - it’s true, a hundredth of a percent matters a lot!)

Water

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

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

Supplements

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

The use of these ingredients depends only on your taste preferences. If you like “bitter”, real and scalding, “so that it warms” - do not use additives. If you like a product that is “soft, so it goes on its own,” experiment, adding a little at a time, and come up with your ideal recipe.

Alcohol dilution proportions and preparation procedure

It was established long ago (more than 140 years ago) that the optimal proportion for mixing vodka is 2 parts alcohol and 3 parts water. The unit of measurement is mass. That is, to get 1 kg of vodka, you need to take 0.4 kg of alcohol and 0.6 kg of water. Using these weight fractions, you will get the classic “40 degrees” with a volume of slightly less than 1 liter.

It is important to understand how to properly dilute alcohol. The mixing procedure is simple: pour alcohol into water. Not otherwise. Control is carried out with a hydrometer (alcohol meter). Depending on the readings of the device, add alcohol little by little. (At the same time, remember about water: you can’t pour it into the mixture.)

You can use scientific tools for dilution and control - special tables. For vodka with a classic strength of 40°, you need to take 100 ml of alcohol with a strength of 90° and pour it into a volume of water equal to 130.8 ml.

When it comes to industrial production, additives are subject to massive (volume) adjustments. For home preparation, in small volumes, these amounts of additives can be ignored.

Table “How to dilute alcohol with water.” (The value in the cell is the amount of water in ml per 100 ml of ethyl alcohol)

After	Alcohol content before dilution
	95°	90°	85°	80°	75°	70°	65°	60°	55°	50°
90°	6,4
85°	13,3	6,6
80°	20,9	13,8	6,8
75°	29,5	21,8	14,5	7,2
70°	39,1	31,0	23,1	15,4	7,6
65°	50,1	41,4	33,0	24,7	16,4	8,2
60°	67,9	53,7	44,5	35,4	26,5	17,6	8,8
55°	78,0	67,8	57,9	48,1	38,3	28,6	19,0	9,5
50°	96,0	84,7	73,9	63,0	52,4	41,7	31,3	20,5	10,4
45°	117,2	105,3	93,3	81,2	69,5	57,8	46,0	34,5	22,9	11,4
40°	144,4	130,8	117,3	104,0	90,8	77,6	64,5	51,4	38,5	25,6
35°	178,7	163,3	148,0	132,9	117,8	102,8	87,9	73,1	58,3	43,6
30°	224,1	206,2	188,6	171,1	153,6	136,0	118,9	101,7	84,5	67,5
25°	278,1	266,1	245,2	224,3	203,5	182,8	162,2	141,7	121,2	100,7
20°	382,0	355,8	329,8	304,0	278,3	252,6	227,0	201,4	176,0	150,6
15°	540,0	505,3	471,0	436,9	402,8	368,8	334,9	301,1	267,3	233,6

Cleaning

Afterwards, the finished product is left to settle for a bit and cleaned. Cleaning can be done through a fabric or paper filter. Also, after mixing, you can pour a little activated carbon into the mixture itself, and strain after soaking.

To improve the quality of the finished vodka, several tablets of activated carbon are added to the product. Afterwards, the product is left in this state for 2-4 hours in a warm place. The mixture is then filtered through a cloth.

Adding Other Ingredients

After you have successfully diluted the alcohol, the next step is adding additives. To soften, add honey, glucose, and citrus juices. If you have no experience, then add in small portions. For 1 liter, 30-40 ml of the ingredient is enough, no more. Even less acid is added - 5-10 ml per 1 liter of finished product.

Next, you need to keep the entire composition in the dark and cold for about a week: diluted alcohol reacts with all the components, the mixture gains its final taste. When the aging is complete, the finished vodka needs to be bottled. It is important to seal the bottles tightly: if this is not done, some of the alcohol will evaporate, which will reduce the strength of the product.