1. The criterion adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (Mapa), which supervises this type of analysis, is quite simple: the density of the beverage is measured. Density is the ratio of its mass (measured in grams) to volume (the space it takes up, measured in cubic centimeters or milliliters)
2. Every alcoholic beverage is a mixture of water and alcohol, and the more alcohol it contains, the lower its density. To discover this value, a densimeter is used, a device that looks like a thermometer. It floats in the substance to be measured and the line on the surface marks exactly how dense it is.
3. As the analysis can be altered by temperature, it is always done at 20 °C. The result is compared with a table, predefined by Mapa, which establishes the relationship between density and alcohol content, shown in percentage
You can see a hydrometer up close at gas station pumps. The correct density is one of the indicators of fuel quality.
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bar math
Check out the mandatory percentage of alcohol in different drinks
The percentage that indicates the alcohol content follows the Gay Lussac scale (°GL), which calculates how many milliliters of absolute alcohol there are in 100 milliliters of hydroalcoholic mixture. The equivalence is direct: the 5°GL mark, for example, indicates that there is 5% alcohol in the drink.
Type of drink – Beer with alcohol
Alcoholic content at 20°C – Greater than 0.5%
Type of drink – Brandy
Alcohol content at 20°C – 38 to 54%
Type of drink – Cachaça
Alcohol content at 20°C – 38 to 48%
Type of drink – Rum
Alcoholic strength at 20°C – 35 to 54%
Type of drink – Whiskey
Alcohol content at 20°C – 38 to 54%
Type of drink – Vodka
Alcoholic strength at 20°C – 36 to 54%
Type of drink – Liqueur
Alcoholic strength at 20°C – 15 to 54%
Beverage type – Alcoholic mixed drink or cocktail
Alcoholic strength at 20°C – Between 0.5% and 54%
Consultancy Arthur Guerra, psychiatrist and executive president of the Center for Information on Health and Alcohol (Cisa), Carlos H. Gottsfritz Jr., chemical product manager at Jasco, Douglas Wagner Franco, from the Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, Fábio Bax Jr. , coordinator of the Technical Committee of the Brazilian Beverage Association (Abrabe), and Fernando Dutra, coordinator of the chemistry course at Cruzeiro do Sul University