Sanitize everything with Vodka

[Unibrow]

My aunt just moved to Arizona and left a lot of stuff for us, including 10 big bottles of crappy gas station vodka - the 20% ABV vile potion.

Both the wife and I hate good vodka (let alone the bad stuff) so I was wondering, can I just pour these 10 bottles into a bucket and let all my equipment, bottles, etc... soak in this for sanitizing and/or cleaning?

 

[ChaosStout]

My aunt just moved to Arizona and left a lot of stuff for us, including 10 big bottles of crappy gas station vodka - the 20% ABV vile potion.

Both the wife and I hate good vodka (let alone the bad stuff) so I was wondering, can I just pour these 10 bottles into a bucket and let all my equipment, bottles, etc... soak in this for sanitizing and/or cleaning?

If you want all your stuff to get a sticky syrup coating on it go head

 

[chumprock]

My aunt just moved to Arizona and left a lot of stuff for us, including 10 big bottles of crappy gas station vodka - the 20% ABV vile potion. ?

I've never heard of 40 proof vodka.

 

[Desrever]

use it for a lifetime supply of airlock liquid

 

[ChaosStout]

They call it LITE Vodka lol. Its pretty disgusting stuff

 

[spazzy]

I wouldnt rely on 20% by volume to sanitize. We use 70% or 95% EtOH in my lab as a sanitizing solution.

 

[Unibrow]

Thanks, I'm going to find some other non-drinking use for this vodka. I figured the 20% ABV was too low.

I guess you could realistically use 80 proof vodka, but all that Absolut ain't cheap.

 

[runningweird]

Make vanilla extract with it and give it away as christmas gifts.

http://www.vanillareview.com/make-vanilla-extract/

made some 8 months back, we have a gallon of it and its amazing - some of it is going into my pumking clone in about three weeks

. a quart to everyone you know for a gift would be a nice way to use that rotgut crap.

 

[Unibrow]

Vanilla extract is a great idea - i'm making a mini batch of that right now with 2 vanilla bean scrapings (no pods) soaking in 1 cup of 45% Bourbon. It's only been sitting for 1 week though, I plan on using it in about 2 weeks for Denny Conn's Vanilla Bourbon Porter.

However when I was reading up on the extract process, I found that it usually needs at least 35% ABV to get the flavor out. So I guess it won't work with my stash.

 

[runningweird]

ice concentrate it first.

I mean, hypothetically you could freeze concentrate it...if you lived in another country.

 

[Unibrow]

you lost me...

 

[runningweird]

you lost me...

I will face the wrath of mods but this is an educational/information only post.

If you have vodka that is 30% alcohol - the rest is what class? mostly water.

so, water freezes alcohol does not - except at extremely low temps that you and I cannot hope to reach in our homes.

take one bottle of vodka, pour into a tupperware bowl/baking dish capable of holding it all. freeze until solidish

take out the block of booze - place into a mesh strainer and what will come out first will be a higher concentration of alcohol. do this a few times and you have greatly decreased your volume and upped your abv. then you could do the vanilla extract.

search for freeze distilling or ice distillation on the googles.

 

[Unibrow]

Cool, thanks for the explanation, I didn't think the vodka would freeze

 

[spazzy]

Cool, thanks for the explanation, I didn't think the vodka would freeze

All alcohol will freeze, 200 proof (100% EtOH) freezes at -170f. the 20% variety should freeze in your freezer, 30-40% wont reach freezing in a home freezer.

 

[Unibrow]

Cool, I assumed we would need the Kelvin scale to freeze high alcohol %