What's the highest safe alcohol percentage to drink straight

[dslrocks10]

In the FAQ it says "90% (or 95%) ethanol produced from a reflux column still is very dangerous, and must not be drunk without reducing the strength of the ethanol." http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =15&t=5166

What is it even talking about and how is it justified??

I've heard of people drinking everclear in america all the time, having a shot of 95% straight. How is it dangerous?
Does it mean the average person would be dumb enough to drink more than they need to get drunk? (like 100ml I guess)

[punkin]

Be buggered if i'm getting involved in this one.

[dslrocks10]

my point is is there any danger apart from drinking too much

[HookLine]

Ethanol is a powerful solvent and biocide, even at relatively low concentrations. It is also used as a chemical debriding agent at only 18% strength. (And that took only a few seconds of googling, there will be more. I am prepared to bet there will be other research that shows a link between strength of drinks consumed and poor health outcomes.)

If you think it is okay to repeatedly bring some of your soft internal body tissue into contact with 90%+ ethanol, then whatever, it's your life.

But don't say you weren't warned.

And don't expect much respect from this forum, especially if you encourage others to drink that concentration.

[dslrocks10]

So does that pretty much burn your throat and cause some long term damage? What then, is highest safe percentage to drink?
Thanks.

I did some research myself, the everclear label says "not intended for consumption without being mixed with a non-alcoholic beverage"
how much is it intented to be diluted

[Ayay]

Toxic shock Without a buffer of liquid the pure ethyl alcohol can overcome the liver, gizzards and giblets more easily.

[HookLine]

So does that pretty much burn your throat? What then, is the highest percentage to avoid this?

Thanks

Don't think it 'burns' in the technical sense. Probably more like 'dissolves' or 'strips', or just plain poisons various tissue types.

I would definitely not go above 40%, and even that is still putting you at increased risk. For example:

I am prepared to bet there will be other research that shows a link between strength of drinks consumed and poor health outcomes.

Drinking spirits (but not drinking beer or wine) is associated with substantial increase in the risk of oral cancers, especially if you also smoke tobacco (some types). In other words, the higher the ethanol concentration, the greater the risk, independent of how much you consume overall.

Source: 'The role of type of tobacco and type of alcoholic beverage in oral carcinogenesis.'
Castellsagué X, et al.
Int J Cancer. 2004 Feb 20;108(5):741-9.
PMID: 14696101

This is only one paper, you would have to take into account all of the studies on this issue (and I ain't got time to do that). But it does raise serious warning bells about the concentration of your drinks. Ignore this stuff at your peril.

Chances are pretty good that a similar association holds between ethanol concentration and problems further down into the oesophagus and stomach areas.

Don't take my comments too personally. Safety is the highest priority here.

[big_daddy_d]

I dont go over 55% when cutting, there are plenty of 101 to 151 proof beverages her in the States.I wouldnt recomend turning a bottle up and guzzling no matter what proof!

[dslrocks10]

how about 47.5%? simplest to do diluting it half-half

so I guess all drinks over that are supposed to be mixed

[mbasketcase13]

One should also realize the difference between proof of alc and % of alc 100 Proof is still only 50% abv
I thought this thread looked familer

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =15&t=8921

[Hawke]

personally, I cut mine to 100 proof (50%). Anything higher should be mixed/cut IMHO.

[eternalfrost]

i agree with those saying the high proofs are bad thing. if not for the health reasons then simply for safety since in my 'younger days' of distilling before i knew better i cut them to a much higher proof for the novelty of it and ended up giving me and my mates a few nights where we really drank entirely too much. it just sneaks up on you in a dangerous way...

that said, it simply dosent taste very good anyways...

personally i now cut to 40% (standard commercial strength)for things drank in shots, like the thai terror recipe, or a tad higher like 45-50 for things i know i will be mixing or sipping with icecubes, like my neutral or my rum and 'whiskey'.

40% is still plenty strong to get you buggered if your doing shots, and tastes enormously smoother. i bump it up a little stronger for the others since they end up getting watered down a bit when drinking otherwise.

[rad14701]

The best advice I can give on this is to take a stroll through the local liquor store and see what range your intended spirits are bottled at for reference... There is a reason why each spirit or cordial is bottled at a specific proof range... It mainly depends on whether the product will be consumed straight, on the rocks, or in a mixed drink...

Where I live it is illegal for a bar customer to have more than one ounce of alcohol in their possession at a given time, whether it's beer, wine, mixed drink, a shot, or any combination thereof... That means the the serving size must be adjusted to the product - hence the reason why wine glasses are so small and shot glasses only hold one ounce... A shot and a beer puts a customer right at the limit... A mixed drink or wine and a shot could put you over... Of course, this regulation is rarely enforced, but was put in place for a reason - safety...

[punkin]

how about 47.5%? simplest to do diluting it half-half

so I guess all drinks over that are supposed to be mixed

Jeez, if all you're worried about is diluting accurately then here...

http://homedistiller.org/calcs/dilute" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Use an accurate flask, a thermometer and a spirit hydrometer and dilute to any strength you want.

[big worm]

the wife prefers 40% but, the dog likes 50%......anything over that is just over kill. a shot of 80-100 proof is quite stout. all i ever seen folks do with everclear is pour it in a large container with fruit punch and fruit then get large amounts of people drunk at partys. could you take a shot of everclear and survive?....sure.....but why? it's gonna burn you from stem to stern and taste like shit...make ya shudder and gag and want to puke....i'll stick withen commercial limits of 80-100 proof thank you.
*******note*******
most everclear punch partys end up with someone saying "hey ya'll, watch this"

[Dutchmancreek]

I've heard of people drinking everclear in america all the time, having a shot of 95% straight. How is it dangerous?

Have you ever actually seen anyone drink Everclear? You'd probably remember and they would never do it again. It tells you right on the bottle not to drink it straight but you seem determined to try. Start with Bacardi 151 and see if you can handle that first. Do you have any experience with drinking, other than beer?

[rad14701]

I have NEVER seen or even heard of anyone ever drinking a shot of Everclear straight... I've seen it used to make Glug, but that's about it... Drinking Everclear straight WILL end up giving you alcohol poisoning if you consume too much, and can keep it down... It will dry out your lips, your tongue, your esophagus, and every other body part it makes contact with... Virtually pure ethanol is nothing to play with...

[Tater]

my point is is there any danger apart from drinking too much

How old are you dslrocks10?

[punkin]

my point is is there any danger apart from drinking too much

How old are you dslrocks10?

NowTheresAPertinentQuestionPunkin

[Usge]

I drink a sip or 2 of 120-170 proof. Straight. Just a couple of sips and chase it with water if need be. That's it. I prefer it to watered down spirits. Low proof single run stuff doesn't taste all that good to me. Double run even on crude still gonna give 140 proof or so. My friends and I cook dinner and sip on it. Small little nips of it. I've gotten drunk more than a few times off of the dog...don't take much. But, mostly, my friends and I sit around, eat, etc...and just take a plug off the bottle every now and again. Nobody ever drinks a lot of any of it. Can't.

The only thing I drink regular is wine (red wine mostly). Nearly every day. Doc says 2 or 3 glasses of it a day...good for me. I just can't figure out which 2 or 3 it is.

Most people I knew/know who use or make something like everclear...mix it with some kind of fruit juice (or something)....mostly cause that stuff ain't got no taste for sippin to start with. Even if you water it.

[dslrocks10]

Yeah it sound like 40% is the best strength, most ppl would mix it anyway at higher strengths. Personally 40% is the strongest I've had. Appreciate the advice guys.

[blanikdog]

What can you bloodywell say???? <shaking head>

blanik

[BUCK-O]

I have NEVER seen or even heard of anyone ever drinking a shot of Everclear straight... I've seen it used to make Glug, but that's about it... Drinking Everclear straight WILL end up giving you alcohol poisoning if you consume too much, and can keep it down... It will dry out your lips, your tongue, your esophagus, and every other body part it makes contact with... Virtually pure ethanol is nothing to play with...

when i was 16 me and a buddy decided to show how much we could drink at a party started with a shot of everclear and chased with a beer made it 3 rounds like that. i was sick all night so they tell me, the next mornig everytime i drank water i would be drunk all over again that kept up for about 5,6 hours. now i wont even touch the stuff mixed at a party.

[HangOver]

so would it be OK to drink this stuff?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectified_spirit

[trthskr4]

Is life getting so fast these days that we need to look for quicker ways to get buzzed just for the purpose of getting a buzz? Slow down, get your buzz on slow like and savor the trip. 40% is poisonous enough for the human body don't over kill it. It ain't cool if you end up hospitalized or worse. Be careful, use some common sense and be safe, you only have one body so kill it slowly.

[BUCK-O]

Is life getting so fast these days that we need to look for quicker ways to get buzzed just for the purpose of getting a buzz? Slow down, get your buzz on slow like and savor the trip. 40% is poisonous enough for the human body don't over kill it. It ain't cool if you end up hospitalized or worse. Be careful, use some common sense and be safe, you only have one body so kill it slowly.

thats what i was trying to say

[BW Redneck]

Back when I was young, we used to do what we called "human flamethrowers" as a party entertainment thing. You took a shot of 95% in your mouth, lit a match, then spat the liquor out to create a flamethrower effect. I couldn't get my match to light, and the everclear stayed in my mouth for close to 30 seconds. I spat out a layer of dead skin cells when I was done. Couldn't drink anything that wasn't lukewarm for close to a week.

I do not cut anything to higher than 151, and I only keep that around to show my friends that it can ignite. I never give out or drink anything above 55%, and that's supposed to be drunk with a splash of water.

[Usge]

I wouldn't hold in my mouth. Nor light it on fire. Nor would I drink very much of it at a time. But, I "do" sip on the dog at higher proofs. Ain't nuthin better on a cold night.

[wise1]

When I was in high school we thought that everclear was the stuff. Until we got a hold of some. I think that was the sickest I have ever been to this day. We tried it straight, then mixed it with orange juice. I don't thing its fit to be sold . I would rather have around 120 proof and chase it with water. It allway's seemed to me the stronger stuff did not give me as bad of a hangover.

[blanikdog]

Is a thread talking about "What's the highest safe alcohol percentage to drink straight" really going to help quell the fears of the people who believe that craft distilling is bad, and should be banned? This is just playing into their hands. Next we'll have some drongo asking how to denature metho. Sure, nobody is encouraging the practice, but there are some weird people out there who would see it that way.

It just seems out of character to me, but as we all know, I'm just an aussie.

blanik