High proof alcohol, such as 151 proof alcohol, sometimes called 75% alcohol or 75.5% alcohol, has many uses. Here we list some that you can use at home.
Uses of 151 proof or 75% alcohol
- Vanilla extract.
- Citrus extracts (lemon, lime, orange).
- Bitters production.
- Limoncello and similar liqueurs.
- Fruit extracts for baking.
- Herbal tinctures.
- Perfumery.
- Essential oil extraction.
- Food flavour development.
- Botanical preservation for educational purposes.
Some less obvious uses for 151 proof alcohol
- Making concentrated coffee extract.
- Producing homemade bitters for cocktails.
- Extracting flavours from cacao nibs.
- Preserving truffles and other rare fungi for study.
- Creating culinary extracts from native Australian botanicals such as lemon myrtle, aniseed myrtle, wattleseed and finger lime peel.
Why do professional extract makers use 75% alcohol instead of vodka?
Standard vodka at 40% ABV contains too much water to efficiently extract many aromatic oils, whereas 75% alcohol extracts both water-soluble and oil-soluble compounds much more effectively.
This is directly relevant to:
- home extract makers,
- herbalists,
- perfumers,
- craft food producers,
- gin makers experimenting with botanicals.
- home limoncello liqueur makers
