Alcohol proof and percentage. What’s the difference and purpose?

Question

Alcohol proof and percentage. What’s the difference and purpose?

In: 4

Answer 1

Liquor will burn at about 50% ethanol. Or 50%. However, back in the day only scientists would have hydrometers and be able to accurately measure a liquors alcohol percent. So instead, what you would do to make sure your liquors werent watered down is you would burn a few drops as “proof.” If it caught flame it was good liquor. If it didn’t catch flame, your salesman was selling you an inferior product. So the term “proof” started as “this is good liquor”.

Well eventually alcohol became a regulated business. And suppliers had to state how strong it was. But they already had a concept and language for “good” liquor. So the term proof stayed. And they picked 100 proof as 50% ethanol just to put a standard value to proof.

Answer 2

Liquor will burn at about 50% ethanol. Or 50%. However, back in the day only scientists would have hydrometers and be able to accurately measure a liquors alcohol percent. So instead, what you would do to make sure your liquors werent watered down is you would burn a few drops as “proof.” If it caught flame it was good liquor. If it didn’t catch flame, your salesman was selling you an inferior product. So the term “proof” started as “this is good liquor”.

Well eventually alcohol became a regulated business. And suppliers had to state how strong it was. But they already had a concept and language for “good” liquor. So the term proof stayed. And they picked 100 proof as 50% ethanol just to put a standard value to proof.