Alcohol Measurements
Although ABV may be one of the most common measurements for how much alcohol is in a beverage, it might not be the only alcohol measurement that you come across. There are several other measurements of alcohol that you’re likely to see on various beverage labels. Understanding how to recognize these different measurements and how they relate to ABV is key to preventing major mix-ups and creating quality alcoholic beverages.
Proof vs ABV
Other than ABV, proof is likely one of the most common alcohol measurements you will see. In the United States, the difference between proof and ABV is simple to grasp. Proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume, meaning that a beverage with 40% ABV would have a proof of 80.
Proof is primarily used to measure the alcohol content of liquor, and the name stems back from the early days of the American alcohol trade. Alcohol traders would water down their goods, so it was required for traders to mix their alcohol with gunpowder to prove it was legitimate. If the alcohol caught fire then it was a legitimate product with a high proof, and if it didn’t consumers could tell it had been watered down.
ABW vs ABV
Although ABV is what you’ll commonly find listed on labels in the United States, you may sometimes come across a beverage measured with alcohol by weight. In other parts of the world and select areas of the U.S, alcohol by weight is used, but if you find an unlabeled percentage listed on a U.S beverage, it’s safe to assume it’s the beverage’s ABV.
A drink’s ABW is lower than its ABV, meaning a drink with 5% ABW is a drink with a higher than 5% ABV. When purchasing alcoholic beverages for your bar, make sure you’re double-checking labels to see how the alcohol content is measured, just so you know exactly how much alcohol is in a particular drink.
Additional Alcohol Measurements
Although ABV may be one of the most common measurements for how much alcohol is in a beverage, it might not be the only alcohol measurement that you come across. There are several other measurements of alcohol that you’re likely to see on various beverage labels. Understanding how to recognize these different measurements and how they relate to ABV is key to preventing major mix-ups and creating quality alcoholic beverages.
Proof vs ABV
Other than ABV, Proof is one of the most common alcohol measurements you will see. In the United States, the difference between proof and ABV is simple to grasp. Proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume, meaning that a beverage with 40% ABV would have a proof of 80.
Proof is primarily used to measure the alcohol content of liquor, and the name stems back from the early days of the American alcohol trade. Alcohol traders would water down their goods, so it was required for traders to mix their alcohol with gunpowder to prove it was legitimate. If the alcohol caught fire, then it was a legitimate product with high proof, and if it didn’t consumers could tell it had been watered down.