Can You Freeze Alcohol? Tips to Freeze Liquor
So, if you are wondering whether or not you can freeze alcohol, then you are at the right place. We will take you through the basic sciences of freezing drinks like cocktails, tequila, vodka, and other proof liquor and the ways in which you can freeze them.
Ethanolic drinks aren’t meant for a particular season, most people prefer them all year round. There arises the question of how to store alcohol so that its original taste and texture don’t get hampered.
There are a few drinks with high alcohol percentage and others with a low percentage. Different drinks have different methods of freezing depending on the level of alcohol present in them. The basic principle governing the freezing process for alcohol is the freezing point of the drink.
Let’s get into the ABCs of freezing your drink in your home freezer!
Why Alcohol Doesn’t Freeze Effectively?
If you have already tried freezing alcohol, you must know the difficulties of different alcohol freezing points. Often you will either end up losing the original taste of the ethanol or it will turn rock hard and break apart.
So, what is the reason for these tragic conditions? One answer is the difference in freezing points of water and alcohol. Be it any ethanolic beverage, it will surely contain a mixture of water and alcohol in it.
There is a significant difference between the freezing points of these two liquids. Where water freezes easily at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, alcohol needs a drop in temperature of -173 degrees Fahrenheit. Between these two ranges is the freezing point range of a majority of the drinks.
The amount of alcohol present in a drink represents the overall alcohol by volume percentage in it. Therefore, you must understand that the amount of alcohol in a drink is directly proportional to the time of freezing required to freeze the drink.
So, if your drink has a low alcohol percentage then it will freeze fast, and vice versa.
Alcohol Freezes at What Temperature?
If you are talking about the exact temperature when ethanol freezes, then, it is going to be -113 degrees Fahrenheit. Pure alcohol does not freeze anywhere below this temperature. However, there are times when alcohol does freeze below this limit and it is a sign that your alcohol has other liquids like water in it.
What is Wine Tasting?
Alcohol can freeze if you follow certain tips and methods given in the further sections. However, it can be tricky at times. If making restaurant recipes beverages at home, then it is difficult to serve them frozen. Melting point temperatures of different drinks determine whether or not the alcohol freezes. Cocktails beer wine and other vegetarian restaurant recipes show different results in wine tasting. Read this blog to find answers to your queries effectively.
How to Freeze Alcohol?
Now that you are aware of the alcohol-by-volume ratio, it is time to know some easy tips that you must follow for later use. First of all, you must remember that not every alcoholic item can be frozen effectively.
There are some drinks that will freeze well in the form of ice cubes, while others will turn slushy. Here is an easy way ethanol alcohol freezes at home. For this method, you will need an ice lolly or popsicle mold.
Take clean ice popsicle molds for freezing alcohol. Start by selecting your spirit drink first. Try to stick with clear spirits for the first step, for example- tequila or gin will do best. Then, in a separate bowl, mix one part of your preferred spirit drink with five parts of the other liquid.
The second liquid can be any other drink like- sparkling water, lemon soda, or cola drink. If you wish to add some garnishings then you can drop in some fresh mint leaves to this alcohol-water mix!
Pour the contents into ice popsicle molds and freeze them. Whenever you need your popsicles remove them from the mold and serve directly or crush it to form a slushy.
Can you Freeze Liquor at Home?
Yes, alcohol freezes at home depending on the type of drink. Usually, alcoholic drinks with high alcohol content need extremely lower temperatures for freezing. A normal refrigerator cannot drop its temperature to such a low extent. However, by following the tips mentioned above then you can freeze some ethanolic drinks perfectly.
How to Freeze Alcohol-soaked fruits?
It’s Christmas time and everyone craves yummy Christmas cake, right? Well, if you prepare some alcohol-soaked fruits then it will save the preparation time for your Christmas cakes! Here’s how to freeze alcohol-soaked fruits.
Clean and dry your fruits sufficiently enough as you would for your recipe. Then soak them with alcohol and immediately seal them in airtight bags. Shift these bags into the freezer and use them in your cakes!
Freezing Different Alcoholic Drinks
Practically speaking, you can freeze alcoholic drinks with high liquor content into rock-hard ice cubes. However, there are some drinks that might get super-chilled in the freezer. Here’s how different drinks behave in the freezer.
- Beer: Beer has a freezing point of 28 degrees Fahrenheit and will chill quickly in the freezer. However, if you keep it in the freezer for more than one hour then you will end up with a destroyed slushy mix of beer in the freezer. Thus, chilling beer is the only option that will work for you.
- 80-Proof Alcoholic Drinks: Drinks like gin and vodka fall in this category. They freeze pretty much well in comparison to most alcoholic drinks. However, you will not be able to freeze them for more than a month.
- Wine: Wine is again a bad drink for freezing. It has a freezing point of 23 degrees Fahrenheit and it performs even worse than a beer in the freezer. Wine will go bad anywhere if you keep it in the freezer for more than thirty minutes!
- 64-Proof Drinks: Drinks like Fireball and Amaretto will freeze most appropriately. Thus, if you wish to save some drinks in the freezer then 64-proof alcoholic drinks are your best bet!
How long should you keep ethanol in the freezer? How do you defrost frozen alcohol?
Freezing alcohol for longer periods is a crazy idea and you shouldn’t do that. The maximum time limit for freezing alcohol is one month and nothing more than that. However, in the case of drinks like beer, the time of freezing is just one hour!
Beer is often regarded as the worst drink to freeze! Therefore, if you do not want a slushy mess in your freezer, do not freeze it for more than an hour. Unfortunately, alcohol isn’t a regular beverage that will freeze well in the freezer. Also, different recipes will react differently on storage in the freezer. Thus, pick recipes that freeze well and won’t destroy other food items in the freezer.
Spirits, vodka, wine, and proof items should be checked for their melting point before you add them to the drinks. If I could give you a quick tip then it would be to check the melting points of different liquids before incorporating them into your recipes.
There are least chances that you’ll be able to freeze ethanolic drinks in the freezer. However, if they freeze then, you will have to prepare ice popsicles out of your alcoholic drinks and then use them directly. There is no need to defrost or thaw them or else you will destroy their taste and flavor.
Conclusion
Freezing alcohol is one great deal of task to accomplish. However, now you know why some of your alcoholic drinks don’t freeze properly while others do. Try to follow these tips to freeze your alcohol and store your beverages without losing their flavor. Also, do check the list of drinks that you should freeze and the ones you shouldn’t for a better experience.