- #1
adoado
- 72
- 0
Hello all,
I have had trouble preparing Frangelico. For those who have not tasted Frangelico, it's simply a hazelnut liqueur, served on the rocks with ice. Here is my dilemma (and it's relation to organic chemistry):
When I go out and buy it, it's incredible, yet when I made it at home on ice, it's not the same. The only difference is the size of the ice cubes. So this got me wondering, how does the presence of water affect the drink?
I have only studied the basics of organic chemistry, but I came up with a reasoning I was hoping could be discussed and tested against all you organic chemists out there
Alcohol has a hydroxy group (OH) which makes it hydrophilic; as such, it is miscible in water. My idea is that the alcohol bonds with the water, effectively 'mixing' the drink. This dilutes the taste of alcohol and makes the drink less thick.
Hence, the ice simply 'thins' the alcohol? So larger ice cubes implies slower release of water, in turn implying the alcohol stays 'thick' (and unpalatable) for longer.
Can anyone validate this idea?
Cheers!
Adrian G.
I have had trouble preparing Frangelico. For those who have not tasted Frangelico, it's simply a hazelnut liqueur, served on the rocks with ice. Here is my dilemma (and it's relation to organic chemistry):
When I go out and buy it, it's incredible, yet when I made it at home on ice, it's not the same. The only difference is the size of the ice cubes. So this got me wondering, how does the presence of water affect the drink?
I have only studied the basics of organic chemistry, but I came up with a reasoning I was hoping could be discussed and tested against all you organic chemists out there
Alcohol has a hydroxy group (OH) which makes it hydrophilic; as such, it is miscible in water. My idea is that the alcohol bonds with the water, effectively 'mixing' the drink. This dilutes the taste of alcohol and makes the drink less thick.
Hence, the ice simply 'thins' the alcohol? So larger ice cubes implies slower release of water, in turn implying the alcohol stays 'thick' (and unpalatable) for longer.
Can anyone validate this idea?
Cheers!
Adrian G.