Well, this fridge is only a year and a half old, so I doubt it’s going colder. I did buy a different vodka yesterday and it also slushied. I guess the next experiment is a pricier vodka, but that still leaves me twitterpated about the change in the vodka itself. I will get a friend to put vodka in her freezer though. I can also put a bottle in the garage freezer and see if it slushies there. Didn’t even think of that - thanks folks!
Did you leave the bottle open for some time? are you changing your use of it? Not only will alcohol evaporate but water from the air will condense in the cold bottle. Do that a few times and you are diluting it.
Also related to the above, any condensation can freeze to the sides (which would dilute it), But an additional effect, once the vodka starts freezing even in a very small localized area like where the condensation is right above the vodka liquid level which allows some mixing, and you remove some vodka liquid, the remaining solution is weaker.
Wouldn’t the simplest thing be to just acquire a thermometer so you can check the temperature of your freezer?
Ah yes. Ohio and it’s stupid laws. It was 40 proof from the grocery store. If you wanted legit 80 proof, you had to go the state run liquor store that closed at like 7pm.
I’ve seen an increasingly amount of 72 proof also. Perhaps they switched to that?
I hope the OP would have checked the label on the bottle of vodka before opening this thread.
Those are stupid laws. Fortunately when I lived there I lived close enough to drive to Kentucky to avail myself of their less stupid liquor laws, and based on the license plates I spotted at the Party Source in Newport, Kentucky so did a lot of other Ohio residents.
FYI, -11.2 F is the freezing point of 80 proof liquor, so we’re either looking at a temperature somewhere around there, or possibly a lower alcohol content, or possibly an even lower temp, but something in the non-alcohol part that could retard freezing.
Just as a note, to have a label that says Vodka on it, not flavored vodka but just simply vodka, the contents must be 80 proof +/- 0.2% at a minimum in the United States. Some small craft distillers suck at proofing and therefore you may find some under proofed vodkas out there. Most large brands will bottle at 79.8 proof including 2% industrial alcohol in order to minimize their costs so it’s possible to find vodka under 80 proof. It won’t be enough under for the vodka to freeze like the OP is describing.
Could you explain this please? Are you referring to synthetic ethanol, like from ethylene hydration? Is the 2% some sort of regulatory limit?
eta: the fact that a second brand of vodka also froze argues against a change in the vodka.
Industrial alcohol alcohol is typically denatured but doesn’t have to be. It is the same ethanol that you would use for making booze but it generally meant for other industrial processes such as making vanilla extract. The important distinction is that it is a non-taxed ethanol. At levels above 2% it has to be declared on the label and there is TTB maximum due to them not wanting you to avoid paying taxes as well. By using it in spirits the tax base decreases since it is based on gallons at 50% taxed ethanol. So a bottle of vodka would have 2% tax free booze and 47.8% taxed booze but you can sell it as if it was 40% taxed booze. This is just one of the tricks large producers can use once they have the equipment to measure exactly and decreasing their taxes by ~6% matters.
I guess to clarify since I really didn’t industrial ethanol is just considered non food use and can still be food grade and from an identical source and methods. It’s purely a tax designation and has to be created by a distillery with the proper permits to make industrial ethanol.
Another example of this is ethanol that is used for fireplaces. Lots of distilleries sell their heads as fuel for ethanol fireplaces but to do this they need an industrial ethanol permit and then that booze is able to be sold without the excise taxes the rest of their booze is sold with. The distillery can then “buy” product from one side to the other to mix into their booze.
Yeah, back in the day Ohio had some interesting liquor laws - but a lot of other states did too. However, I’m not sure many states then had Ohio’s drive-through liquor stores.
You heard me: Drive. Thru. Liquor. Stores.
Too be fair, anything at or above a case had to be put in your trunk by the helpful attendant. In which case you then drove 20 feet away, stopped, and moved said alcohol to the passenger compartment yourself. I’m not sure about Ohio, but in Indiana you could drink and drive - provided, of course, you weren’t above the (then much higher) legal blood-alcohol limit. I think, like a lot of other states, a lot of this went away by the mid-eighties.
Oh I remember Drive Thru Liquor Stores in Ohio-I believe they were referred to as Pony Kegs (which I know has an alternative meaning). But back in the early 80s, they were closed on Sundays due to Ohio’s idiotic ‘blue laws’.
And OP, because this mystery simply must be solved, I bought a bottle of Platinum Vodka today at the grocery & I just put it in the freezer. I’ll report back on whether or not it turns slushee.
Thanks Enola. I am looking forward to your results - and I hope you like the vodka.
I don’t know if this is relevant, but I buy the 1.75 liter bottle.
This is probably a stupid question, but does one need a special thermometer to measure freezer temps?
You need one that goes down to freezer temperatures.
When I open my frig, there is a digital panel that tells me frig & freezer temps. The freezer is set at 0° F and the bottle of Platinum vodka did NOT freeze!
If you don’t have a temperature gauge in your frig, you can buy an appliance thermometer for pretty cheap: Taylor TruTemp Stainless Steel Thermometer Silver (3507) TAP3507 - Walmart.com
ETA: I also bought the 1.75 liter bottle of vodka
Hmm… my freezer just has the 1-5 temp indicator.
Thanks for weighing in. Enjoy your vodka - I first bought it try infusing, and a spicy pepper vodka with pineapple juice is a nice find.