Spring is here in NC and it’s almost mint julep season. I’m writing for a better understanding of moisture in the atmosphere and how it relates to the enjoyment of chilly beverages.
Often, while fellowshipping on the veranda with a tall tumbler of iced tea, the outside of my glass becomes covered in droplets as the glass “sweats” in the steamy NC afternoon. It’s no surprise; we’re all (well, maybe not you desert dwellers) familiar with this phenomenon. But I want to get all geeky about it for a second and ask some insightful :rolleyes: questions.
Isn’t the water condensing on my mint julep’s glass actually warming my drink (heat of condensation)?
Is this condensed water also cooling my drink as it evaporates (heat of vaporization)?
(I would suspect that the rate of condensation is greater, and I get a net warming from the events.)
To keep my julep as chilly as possible, do I want to remove the condensation or let it accumulate?
(I would think that any *damage *has been done and that keeping the water on there would act as some sort of “boundary layer” to damp the rate of further condensation.)
Surely, koozies/huggies help, right? Would just a simple napkin wrapped around the glass have any (+/-) effect on things?
Isn’t the water condensing on my mint julep’s glass actually warming my drink (heat of condensation)? Yes, condensing water vapor is warming your drink.
Is this condensed water also cooling my drink as it evaporates (heat of vaporization)? Effects due to gas/liquid equilibrium would be negligible. The main driving force for evaporation, “heat” from ambient, will be overcome by the droplet’s contact with the cool glass.
To keep my julep as chilly as possible, do I want to remove the condensation or let it accumulate? Generally, let it accumulate. I’m sure there’s some configuration where removing the condensation would be beneficial, but in real world scenarios, the droplets will form localized areas of insulation.
Surely, koozies/huggies help, right? Would just a simple napkin wrapped around the glass have any (+/-) effect on things? Yes, koozies help. I would think that a napkin wrapped around the glass would have a slight positive effect on keeping the drink cool, since it’s an extra layer of insulation.
I like to wipe the condensation off. I tell myself that I’m doing my part to reduce the total humidity. I suppose if a million people were all doing this together we’d… probably still have no measurable effect, but I hate warm, humid days.
Well, you know… we’re a bunch of rednecks over here I’m just trying to class-up my JackD a bit with the mint leaves.
But your fancy, ivy-league, silver cup probably trades BTUs like the heat exchanger at our local, dirty, coal-fired power plant. I’ll stick with my jelly jar, thank you.
I’m just trying to class-up my JackD a bit with the mint leaves.