Does Alcohol Have a Taste?

[gothbat]

Only the words of Ralph Wiggum come to mind when I read this thread "It tastes like... burning!".

[gr8erdane]

After reading all the above, all I can say is that in the days when I drank vodka, many moons ago, I certainly didn't taste NOTHING. From my point of view it has a taste but that is its own unique taste and therefore can only be compared to itself which lends to some fairly short tasting notes. "This vodka reminds me of vodka with just a hint of vodka on the finish"

When I drink orange juice it tastes like orange juice. When I add vodka to that same orange juice to make a screwdriver, it no longer tastes just like orange juice to me. The vodka, to me, adds a metallic taste to orange juice. I don't know how else to describe it because as I said, it tastes like vodka.

[ratcheer]

Here is a way to do a valid, but still subjective, test to determine whether alcohol has a taste. I cannot do it myself, because to my knowledge, the required product is not available in my state. I wouldn't want it even if it was.

• Anyway, just take some pure grain alcohol, e.g., Everclear, and cut it to around 80-proof with distilled water. Taste. Does it have "flavor".

This may boil down to how an individual defines / perceives flavor. I submit that the mere detection of alcohol does not necessarily prove flavor. But, that may just be me.

Tim

[TimmyBoston]

It doesn't have much of a taste, but it definately has a mouthfeel or more accurately a burn.