Hic!

In a recent post, I mentioned ABV (alcohol by volume) which is the way in which the alcoholic content of drink is expressed in the UK these days.  But it wasn't always so - indeed the legal requirement to use that measurement only goes back to 1980. Prior to that, several means were used, the oldest of which is "degrees proof".  This goes back three hundred or so years, to the days when British sailors were provided with a daily tot of rum as part of their rations.  To ensure that the rum was of the required strength, it would be mixed with gunpowder and set alight. If it didn't burn, it was rejected.  If it did. this was "proof" that it was good to drink. As time went by, the procedure became more structured, and the rule became that degrees proof was obtained by multiplying the alcoholic content by volume by 7/4. So a hundred degrees proof is the equivalent of just over 57% ABV.  The Americans still tend to use degrees proof on their bottles, although they use a similar but slightly different calculation.