# Will a bottle of vodka left uncapped in the freezer lose all of its alcohol via evaporation?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 28, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809 "2010-06-28T17:14:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/1 "2010-06-28T17:14:16Z")
The SO and I had a party last night, and this morning we discovered that the vodka was left uncapped in the freezer all night. Will this affect the alcohol content in that bottle? Why?
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### Author:  [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/2 "2010-06-28T17:16:39Z")
Yes, eventually, but I don’t think you need to worry about the alcohol content of your bottle until it’s been there a few months. It’s a slooooow process.
ETA: Why? It’s in your thread title. Evaporation. But as I said, at that temperature, it’s slooooow.
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### Author:  [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/3 "2010-06-28T18:11:24Z")
The “Why” is just that the alcohol will evaporate faster than the water.
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### Author:  [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/4 "2010-06-28T18:19:35Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#):
>
> The “Why” is just that the alcohol will evaporate faster than the water.
But the water will freeze quicker, at least for less concentrated drinks. See [Fractional Freezing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_freezing).
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/5 "2010-06-28T18:31:43Z")
There’s really only one way to find out how good it still is.
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### Author:  [@DogRatCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogRatCat)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/6 "2010-06-28T18:39:05Z")
I bet it would evaporate faster while there’s a party going on at your house than after everyone else has gone home and it’s just you there…
When I first read the title I was already laughing thinking that the question would be to confirm “my frields told me it must have evaporated (😉 ;))”
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### Author:  [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/7 "2010-06-28T18:46:29Z")
Drink two shots and post back here. We’ll let you know if the alcohol has evaporated.
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### Author:  [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/8 "2010-06-28T20:23:33Z")
> [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](#):
>
> But the water will freeze quicker, at least for less concentrated drinks. See [Fractional Freezing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_freezing).
Yes, but what’s your point? The ice is still in the bottle. The evaporated alcohol can leave the bottle.
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### Author:  [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/9 "2010-06-28T20:32:12Z")
The ice will also slowly evaporate (or at least it will in my freezer), so it’s a question of whether the ice or ethanol evaporate faster.
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### Author:  [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/10 "2010-06-28T20:47:32Z")
So…the concensus is that I can still have a martini this evening? 😃
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/11 "2010-06-28T20:58:35Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#):
>
> So…the concensus is that I can still have a martini this evening? 😃
I think the consensus is, “Why wait?”
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### Author:  [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/12 "2010-06-28T21:07:03Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#):
>
> So…the concensus is that I can still have a martini this evening? 😃
The consensus is that you can have a martini only if you also have a bottle of gin that you have not yet mentioned.
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### Author:  [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2010, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-bottle-of-vodka-left-uncapped-in-the-freezer-lose-all-of-its-alcohol-via-evaporation/544809/13 "2010-06-30T11:39:02Z")
> [@Giles](#):
>
> The ice will also slowly evaporate (or at least it will in my freezer), so it’s a question of whether the ice or ethanol evaporate faster.
The proper chemistry term for ice (or any other solid) “evaporating” is “sublimation”.
Nit picked.
ETA: The consensus seems to me to be “drink it fast, before it loses any more potency”!