# What is Vodka?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-vodka/44399>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 6, 2000, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-vodka/44399 "2000-12-06T23:03:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2000, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-vodka/44399/41 "2000-12-26T23:02:04Z")

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OK, Peace. I did a search at [http://www.brittanica.com](http://www.brittanica.com)  
In Great Britain, the Customs and Excise Act of 1952, declared proof spirits (100 proof ) to be those in which the weight of the spirits is 12/13 the weight of an equal volume of distilled water at 51º F (11º C). Thus, proof spirits are 48.24 percent alcohol by weight or 57.06 percent by volume. Other spirits are designated over or under proof, with the percentage of variance noted. In the United States, a proof spirit (100 proof) is one containing 50 percent alcohol by volume.

Now we all know. It’s the weight of the same weight of an equal amount of distilled water at 51 degrees F and I guess the specific gravity of vodka is around 2.

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**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2000, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-vodka/44399/42 "2000-12-27T01:43:40Z")

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## Barbie, the explanation I read the other day here was different. It was less dry, more folkloric, if you wish. Your last sentence was not clear to me. Its last part is plain wrong (although completely irrelevant). The specific gravity of water is 1 g/cm^3, the SG of ethanol is 0.816g/cm^3, the SG of 50:50 mixture would be 0.908, if equal volumes are mixed. In reality, it would be different, but who cares. As I said, it’s irrelevant. We drink vodka because of its taste, not SG.

Peace

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**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2000, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-vodka/44399/43 "2000-12-27T21:25:13Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Smeghead \*  
> \*\*You’re right. Curse me. Curse me to hell!!
> 
> _Wanders off, punching self in face_ \*\*

At least you were good-natured about the denatured alcohol. (It took me long enough to come up with that.)

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