# drinking alcohol **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 8, 2003, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003 "2003-07-08T14:49:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/21 "2003-07-09T11:31:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blown & Injected \* > \*\*On the subject: > What is SD40 alcohol used in mouthwash? \*\* Denatured ethyl alcohol. That is, ethyl alcohol which has had stuff added to it to: a) make it tate bad b) possibly make it poisonous if swallowed. **x-ray vision** : Get over it. Isopropyl alcohol _is_ an intoxicant. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/22 "2003-07-09T11:42:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kuraijo \* > \*\*yes, you can turn juices into alcoholic stuff. the process is something called fermentation. you need the damn bacteria though. or you could jsut squeeze over-ripe fruits - those have a little alcohol in them. \*\* You can use baker’s yeast to make any sugar solution into alcohol. With the right set-up (my college prof showed our class once), you can make a very cheap, 15% alcohol “wine”. I tried it once, and it was drinkable. But also tasted like it had had bread soaking in it. 🕶 ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/23 "2003-07-09T14:34:54Z")
As **Blake** said, making cider, wine or beer in relatively easy and can be done with the right equipment and yeast picked up at a local or internet brewing store. Bread yeast, strangely enough, is for making bread. Yes it ferments but not the way you’ll really enjoy. Or not. Let’s face it; we’ve got people drinking perfume here. ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/24 "2003-07-09T14:56:44Z")
Would it be improper to post the recipe for my “Balloon Wine” here? Probably, due to the presence of under-age members. But if other recipes are available on the 'net and the moderators don’t object, I can give y’all a recipe for an easily made, tasty, kick-axe potable. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/25 "2003-07-09T17:14:06Z")
Lt me jsut second the bit about not using baker’s yeast - really 'tis better to get yeast bred for the purpose, so to speak. I mean, you want to drink the end product, so it is worth an _tiny" amount more pennies to use the right stuff to get a better finished product. Plus if you 8can_ visit a homebew store, you shoudl be able to benefit form the shopkeeper’s experience and advice. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/26 "2003-07-09T17:21:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Celyn \* > \*\*Lt me jsut second the bit about not using baker’s yeast - really 'tis better to get yeast bred for the purpose, so to speak. I mean, you want to drink the end product, so it is worth an _tiny" amount more pennies to use the right stuff to get a better finished product. Plus if you 8can_ visit a homebew store, you shoudl be able to benefit form the shopkeeper’s experience and advice. \*\* Clearly a man who’s just sampled the goods…😉 hrh ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/27 "2003-07-09T17:22:53Z")
yeah, what **Celyn** said… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/28 "2003-07-10T03:18:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by x-ray vision \* > \*\*Only ethanol will get you drunk. \*\* I must disagree. Methanol, Isopropyl alcohol, and other varieties of shorter chain alcohols do indeed intoxicate. The downside is that either their structure itself or their metabolic breakdown products are also much more toxic than ethanol. But the other alcohols cited above also mess with the GABA system, just like our old pal EtOH. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/29 "2003-07-10T03:44:22Z")
SDA 40 is “Specially Denatured Alcohol, Formula 40.” Denatured alcohols contain ingredients that either taste bad, smell, bad, cause vomiting, or are just plain poisonous. SDA 40 may be prepared with a variety of denaturants, all of which have been chosen for suitability in mouthwash. The most prominent is butyl alcohol plus brucine sulfate. SDA 40A, which is more common in mouthwash than SDA 40, uses butyl alcohol plus sucrose octaacetate. There are SDA formulas for laboratory use, for perfume, for cleaning, for ink, and there’s even a formula for ethyl rubbing alcohol. There are also “Completely Denatured Alcohols” (CD-1, etc.) that are denatured with materials so nasty and so unremovable that they aren’t even controlled by BATF (iodine tincture, cooking fuel, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/30 "2003-07-10T03:47:06Z")
And yes, isopropanol can definitely give you a buzz. Hell, if you’re working over an open tank of it in a poorly ventilated area, just breathing will rock your world. Trust me on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/31 "2003-07-10T09:41:06Z")
Rubbing alcohol is not always isopropyl alchohol. It’s often “denatured” ethanol which usually consists of something like 90% ethanol, 5% water, and 5% **methanol** which is well known for causing blindness among other things. ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/32 "2003-07-10T09:50:05Z")
Thanks **Desmostylus, Nametag**. I often wondered about it because it seems like they would not make it poisonous if it is to be used in ones mouth, but then I have never heard of kids drinking the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![parlo\_americano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b19c9b/32.png) [@parlo\_americano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parlo_americano)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/33 "2003-07-10T13:55:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AWB \* > \*\*I tried it once, and it was drinkable. But also tasted like it had had bread soaking in it. 🕶 \*\* If someone’s going to be desperate enough to drink rubbing alcohol then I hope he wouldn’t be too picky about a safer(?) bread tasting beverage. Didn’t Dukakis’ wife try that and it he dropped out of the pres. race? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/34 "2003-07-10T14:17:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by radar ralf \* > \*\*Would it be improper to post the recipe for my “Balloon Wine” here? \*\* It would not be improper to email me the recipe.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/35 "2003-07-10T17:07:21Z")
Also remember that brewing beer, wine, cider or mead is legal in almost all jurisdictions in the United States and many other countries as well. It is typically pretty safe, the worst that will happen is that you end up with foul tasting alcoholic crap, or vinegar, or maybe a burst carboy and a big mess. However, home distilling is illegal everywhere in the US, and in most other countries. Distilling can also be pretty dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing…your still can explode on you, or you could end up with methanol or some other toxic chemicals. So please don’t do it. It is also illegal to jack cider by freezing it, although this is comparatively much safer. So please don’t do it. You can easily get books on home brewing from your local library. It is inexpensive, safe, easy, and legal if you are over 21. You can make an alcoholic brew from any sort of plant material that contains sugar. Malted barley, apple juice, grape juice, any kind of juice, honey, dried fruit, whole fruit, grain, milk (yes, milk), bread, root vegetables, pea pods, dandelions, table sugar, etc. And you can use any sort of yeast…wild yeast floating around your house, human skin yeast, bread yeast, etc. But you might as well drink something that doesn’t taste like crap. Life is too short. So obtain a strain of yeast appropriate to your mash (ie wine yeast for juice, beer yeast for beer, etc), and pick something that isn’t foul to ferment. Fruit juice is easy, and the end product might even taste good. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/36 "2003-07-10T18:51:10Z")
Perfume is like flattery. It may be inhaled, but should never be swallowed. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003/37 "2003-07-11T03:31:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by parlo americano \* > \*\*If someone’s going to be desperate enough to drink rubbing alcohol then I hope he wouldn’t be too picky about a safer(?) bread tasting beverage. > > Didn’t Dukakis’ wife try that and it he dropped out of the pres. race? \*\* Dukakis stayed in the race to the bitter end. “Vote Bush. He’s taller.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-alcohol/187003.md?page=1)