ABV On A Liquor Menu: Exploring What This Number Reveals
In fine dine restaurants or bars, one of the numbers often spotted in a liquor menu – along with the price of a drink, of course! – is inevitably the ABV. This term stands for alcohol by volume and can reveal a lot about the flavour and robustness of a drink. But one might wonder what ABV really delineates in terms of the serve size of a drink and the format – cocktail, by itself, or on a bed of ice – in which it is served.
Here’s an exploration of ABV on the menu and a guide to reading it in the context of its mention next to cocktails or spirits in a bartender’s roster:
What does ABV really denote?
Put simply, ABV or alcohol by volume denotes the amount of alcohol present in a beverage. Generally, ABV is expressed as a percentage that is indicative of how much of the drink’s volume is alcohol. For instance, when a drink suggests it has 40 percent ABV, this in effect means that out of the total beverage, 40 percent is alcohol and the remaining 60 percent is water, flavour accents and other ingredient infusions.
Why is this ABV listed on liquor menus and bartenders’ rosters?
One of the primary reasons behind jotting down the ABV is to inform patrons about the robustness of each drink. With this, it is possible for a connoisseur or a cocktail curioso to choose a drink depending on their taste preferences and how pronounced or mild they want the spirit’s flavours to be in a cocktail. ABV also hints at portion sizes, in effect, the percentage of alcohol in a drink also reveals the overall ratio of the spirit in the beverage that will be brought to the table.
Does higher ABV on a menu always indicate robust flavours?
Sometimes, higher ABV might point to deeper, richer spirit flavours, but this may not always be the case. Higher ABV spirits like whisky carry a lot of flavour depth because the spirit carries a lot of aromatic compounds. Lower ABV drinks like wine have a tendency to taste milder. However, when combined with other ingredients – especially in cocktails – like mixers, herbs, spices and sweeteners, the taste of a spirit can change as its edges dilute quite a bit.
Also Read: Spirit Of The Land: Why Terroir Matters In Liquor Production
Why do some cocktails have higher ABV than others?
The percentage of ABV in a drink depends on its serve size and format. Even as base spirits like rum, whisky or vodka might carry a certain ABV, once they are diluted with other mixers, ices, juices and sodas, the overall alcohol percentage in a cocktail glass tends to reduce.
Recipes designed for tasting experiences are such concoctions which adjust their serve sizes to balance robust notes of a spirit with other flavours and textural components. For their part, seasonal drinks which make use of artisanal, small batch liqueurs can build on their sweetness and depth while maintaining a moderate spirit flavour, cutting down on the ABV.
Can ABV on the menu be used to read the flavour of a cocktail?
A greater ABV percentage can many times be indicative of a drink with more pronounced and robust flavours. On the other hand, a lower ABV cocktail can sometimes enable other fruity, herbal and citrusy notes to shine through. However, when the cocktail is concocted with a balance of robust whiskies and other flavour notes, particularly in the case of spirit-forward blends, along with ABV, what would also reveal more about the flavour profile of the drink is a description of the other ingredients specified on the menu.
When should one go for a low ABV drink?
The choice between a lower or higher ABV cocktail rests on one’s taste preferences. While some patrons prefer spirit-forward concoctions, others lean towards cocktails in which the flavours of the mixers are more pronounced.
The former can sometimes be drinks which carry a higher ABV than the latter. So, choosing one over the other requires a careful reading of the serving size, the cocktail format and the spirit – along with an understanding of how ABV can be influenced by each of these factors.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
