How to distinguish fake vodka from real one. Burnt vodka

According to independent experts, up to 46% of the domestic alcohol market is filled with counterfeit vodka, which is also popularly called “palena.” The consequences of consuming this “infection” are unpredictable: from headaches in the morning to disability and death. Therefore, it is very important to be able to distinguish vodka from counterfeits while still in the store. There are a number of signs that make this possible with a high degree of probability, but only laboratory tests can give a 100% result.

Burnt vodka is a cheap alcohol and vodka surrogate produced from low-quality raw materials in underground workshops, which criminals try to sell under the guise of recognizable vodka brands by forging the label, bottle, excise stamp and other related documents.

It is the “palenka” that accounts for 53% of fatal cases of alcohol poisoning. The production of burnt vodka is several times cheaper than the original drink. Criminals, having sold a counterfeit, receive fabulous profits. Just one underground workshop brings its owners several million dollars in profit per year.

There is a difference between the concepts of “scorched” and “left” vodka. “Levak” is the name given to a batch of high-quality vodka from a distillery, which is not listed in the enterprise’s reporting. It is cheaper because it is not subject to taxes. But when buying, there is a risk that, under the guise of fake vodka, they may sell you fake vodka. This is what criminals do who do not want or are unable to forge excise stamps and quality certificates. Without these documents, they cannot hand over their surrogate to the store, so they are looking for gullible citizens.

How to identify burnt vodka

We will talk about checking the appearance of the drink before purchasing it. There are signs whose presence should motivate you to choose another vodka or even a store.

1. Price. If you prefer a certain brand of vodka, then you should know the average price of a bottle. If in one of the stores the price is 15-30% lower, then the risk of purchasing counterfeit vodka there increases several times. Miracles do not happen; the cost of the same vodka in different stores cannot differ much.

Previously, it was the low price that gave away scorched vodka, but now counterfeiters have become wiser and in most cases sell their surrogate at the price of the original. Therefore, related factors need to be taken into account.

2. Point of sale. The general rule is: the smaller the store, the higher the likelihood of buying counterfeit vodka there. In large supermarkets you will be given a receipt, which is proof of the purchase made. It’s easier for the supermarket to make a claim, so they sell less “palenka” there, but more and more often it comes across there too. At the same time, large stores do not always sell counterfeit goods deliberately. More often they buy high-quality fakes with all quality certificates (also fake) at wholesale stores.

3. Color. Real vodka is absolutely transparent without turbidity or sediment at the bottom. To check this, just turn the bottle upside down, hold it for a few seconds and look through it at the sunlight. Vodka should not have foreign particles, orange, light yellow or other shades. If the color changes, it means that you have poorly purified vodka, the alcohol or water of which contains foreign impurities.

4. Cap. The factory bottle has a neat cap that does not twist or leak. It is better to buy vodka with a ball dispenser, since in an underground workshop it is more difficult to counterfeit such a bottle.

5. Label. It must be glued evenly, and all inscriptions are written legibly. This also applies to the excise stamp. The plant is required to indicate its full legal address, the address of production facilities, the composition of the drink and the GOST according to which it is made. This is how new little-known vodka brands are tested. Sometimes a surrogate hides under the guise of a completely new vodka that has just appeared on the market.

In the case of a well-known brand, checking the address and composition will not yield anything (with rare exceptions), since counterfeiters simply copy a ready-made label. They can only be identified by faded paper with hard-to-read letters, the quality of which they decided to skimp on.

The bottling dates on the bottle label and cap must match. Although checking the dates takes a few seconds, many are too lazy to do this when buying burnt vodka. Not all underground workshops control the spill time. This is especially true for counterfeiting the cheapest brands.

6. Protection of producers. Realizing that it is difficult for buyers to distinguish good vodka from bad ones, well-known brands are developing their own protection systems that are difficult to counterfeit. These can be embossed signs, coats of arms and other quality markers applied to the bottle.

You can find out about the protection of the vodka you choose on the manufacturer’s website. At least there you will see what the original looks like, and then compare it with the bottles that are on store shelves.

Attention! Compliance of a bottle with all the criteria does not guarantee 100% protection against counterfeiting. Burnt vodka has a strong, unpleasant odor. It is better to throw away a fake you accidentally bought than to risk your health and even life.

According to statistics, burnt vodka is the main cause of death from alcohol poisoning. This is explained by the fact that many alcoholics, as they become more enthusiastic about alcoholic beverages, lower their requirements for the quality of alcohol. Moreover, many alcohol addicts do not have the money to constantly purchase original products.

Also, people who do not particularly understand alcoholic beverages, who purchased vodka at a retail outlet without checking the excise stamp and other signs that allow them to distinguish the original from the fake, can become victims of poisoning. That is why an uninformed person should not immediately go shopping, but first it is better to ask how to check the quality of vodka.

Of all alcoholic drinks, vodka is the most often adulterated. The answer to the question why it is counterfeited is simple: the manufacturing recipe is simple, does not require any special expenses, and the product itself is popular, which provides an excellent opportunity to earn money.

The simplest method of falsification is to replace drinking ethyl alcohol with cheaper, technical alcohol, mainly methyl alcohol. This surrogate is also colorless in appearance and has a weaker odor.

Ethanol, although poisonous to the body, for fatal poisoning you need to drink a lot at a time, or drink large quantities of alcohol every day. In small doses it is a dope for the immune system, while in large quantities it causes clouding of consciousness, addiction, and gradually destroys the functioning of internal organs.

It doesn’t take much to get poisoned by methanol: it’s pure poison. To go blind, a person only needs to drink thirty grams of methyl alcohol, and die - fifty. Naturally, in addition to methanol, the sold surrogates contain water, which dilutes it, but no one can say how much alcohol it contains: when vodka is made in an artisanal way, they are not particularly worried about the correct proportions, and therefore may well exceed the norm. Moreover, if an alcoholic dies from an overdose, his death will not be particularly investigated, except in cases where he belongs to a famous family or someone benefits from it.

In addition to replacing ethyl alcohol with methanol, a swindler can use lower quality ethanol when making a surrogate. There are several grades of this alcohol, and they are divided according to the degree of purification, as well as the raw materials that were used during its production.

Other falsification methods

With falsification, another situation is possible, when there is so much water in the drink that there is almost no alcohol. Another manipulation with water is that the manufacturer can dilute ethanol or methanol with a liquid that does not meet the requirements of the technology, that is, it will not be purified to the required degree.

The water for making the original product is carefully prepared. It is softened, eliminating excess hardness (for example, silver cleaning), in some cases it is completely cleaned, then trace elements are added. At the final stage, the finished product can be cleaned with milk powder. This helps rid the vodka of impurities while preserving the taste and smell. The original products do not have a strong odor, much less one that resembles acetone.

Some manufacturers may add additives to vodka to highlight their products and influence consumer choice in their favor. These components influence the price increase, but it should be taken into account that sometimes such mark-up is not justified: in some cases, the task of such additives is to hide the poor quality of the product, the smell of acetone.

In addition, falsification methods include non-compliance with the recipe (for example, not putting in enough sugar). It is also possible to replace one substance with another (sugar with honey, if it is provided in the recipe, etc.).

What you need to know when buying

If previously alcohol surrogates could be distinguished by cost, now scammers have taken this fact into account and set a price equivalent to the original product, lowering the price by only a fraction of a percent. Accordingly, the buyer, not seeing much of a difference, makes a choice in favor of a fake, believing that its lower price is explained by the low markup of the store.

When purchasing, be sure to study the excise stamp, which must be present on the bottle. It is a quality mark that signals the authenticity of the product, indicates that the vodka is certified, manufactured in accordance with all requirements and meets the standards. To avoid counterfeiting, excise stamps have various degrees of protection, some of them can be identified by eye, others only with the help of a special device. Despite all the degrees of protection, scammers are able to fake it.

When studying a tax stamp, you should definitely pay attention to the thin strip, the security thread with the abbreviation. It does not have to be painted on: it can be pulled out from the original marking. The authenticity of vodka can be confirmed by a hologram on the excise stamp: it should not only shine, but also shimmer if you look at it from a certain angle.

You should carefully study the text: on a fake, the text is usually easily erased and looks smudged, whereas this is not the case on original products. There should be no paint left on your hands after touching the tax stamp.

If everything is fine with the excise stamp at first glance, but doubts remain about the quality of the product, you can proceed to its external inspection. Be sure to pay attention to the following symptoms that will help distinguish the authenticity of vodka:

• The cap of burnt vodka can rotate and even leak, which is impossible when selling original products.
• A real bottle may have a safety cap, while a counterfeit bottle often does not.
• In original products, the liquid level reaches the hanger or the middle of the neck; when counterfeit products, this point is not always observed.
• Original products never produce sediment, while counterfeit products often contain sediment.
• The surrogate may have a tint, while the original vodka does not have it: it is colorless. To check, you can shake the bottle; if after this there is sediment, lint or a cloudy color, you can safely return it to the shelf. Turbidity indicates that the water was poorly filtered or softened, or that there were deviations in technology when purifying the vodka.

Particular attention should be paid to labeling. The bottling stamp must match on the label (can be on the outside or back, on the bottom of the bottle) and the cap. If the dates do not match or do not exist at all, the product is not worth buying. The label must indicate the plant where the product was produced, the city, license number, certificate, and strength of the vodka. On fakes, this data is often missing or is presented inaccurately.

The label on the original bottle should be glued evenly, adhere firmly, and there should be no traces of glue. Stickers on original products are usually bright and clear, while those on surrogate products are usually duller.

If you purchased a bottle, and upon opening it turned out that the vodka smells of acetone, you cannot drink it: it contains either methanol, or the manufacturing technology was violated. The product must be taken to the store and demand a refund.

Features of moonshine

When talking about burnt vodka, you can’t ignore moonshine. This is the name given to vodka prepared at home. True, the name “vodka” here is rather arbitrary, since the manufacturing technology is significantly different, and the recipe is only approximately followed.

Naturally, there is no question of any quality certificate for a product prepared at home. How well the moonshine will be prepared largely depends on the skills and consciousness of the person who will make it. That is, he will do it either for himself or for sale. If the owner prepared and distilled the drink correctly (this must be done at least twice), there is no need to worry about the quality of the alcohol. Moreover, the pungent smell should not bother you: this means that the owner did not add any flavorings to the mash. But if the moonshine smells of acetone, it is better to refuse the drink: it is made poorly.

Another advantage of moonshine that was prepared at home is its cheapness compared to vodka. At the same time, a properly prepared product is no more harmful to health than vodka.. But if the owner violates the manufacturing technology and takes low-quality products, you can die.

In any case, many alcoholics, if they do not have the opportunity to purchase original products, prefer moonshine rather than a product of dubious quality that is sold in stores. Especially if they personally know the person who prepares it and have an idea of ​​how conscientiously he makes the drink.

The most popular item for counterfeiting is vodka. This is explained simply - alcoholic beverages have guaranteed sales. Their counterfeiting is economically beneficial, as it requires minimal costs.

Burnt vodka is produced in underground workshops, using the lowest quality raw materials. Alcohol arrives on store shelves under the guise of products from well-known brands, with labels, excise stamps and fake documents.

The use of such a product can have negative consequences, including death. According to doctors, people who regularly drink such drinks do not live to be forty years old; destruction in their body occurs very quickly. Often this vodka contains the strongest poison - methanol. It has the taste and smell of food alcohol, but its price is much lower. At first it is intoxicating, just like real vodka. After some time, signs appear that indicate severe poisoning, but they are easily confused with a regular hangover, so people do not immediately consult a doctor. This kind of alcohol leads to heart attacks, strokes, blindness, constant headaches and other serious health problems.

Unfortunately, such a product can even be bought in a store. How to check whether vodka is burnt or not?

Signs of a fake

Vodka has a long history. This drink appeared during the period of Russia's transition to a three-field system of growing grain crops. This resulted in an incredible harvest. People had grain in abundance, and it had to be used somehow. The result was the appearance of vodka, a product of fermentation and distillation of wheat. Somewhat later, D.I. Mendeleev determined the ideal ratio of water and alcohol. This made it possible to release a product that soon became known throughout the world.

The demand for this drink has led to the birth of many ways to counterfeit it. Burnt vodka was sold at the price of the original. Manufacturers of counterfeit products have shown ingenuity and learned to counterfeit even containers with labels, excise stamps, special stoppers and certificates. Therefore, consumers are interested in the question: “How to identify burnt vodka?”

Price

The cheapness of an alcoholic drink should be your first concern. Usually the cost of alcohol in different stores is approximately the same. By the price, therefore, you can guess which vodka is scorched. True, this sign is sometimes not enough to determine the quality of the product. Manufacturers of counterfeit products can set the same prices as in stores.

Place of sale

Most often, burnt vodka is found on the shelves of small stores. To protect yourself, purchase goods in large supermarkets, where you will at least receive a receipt that confirms the fact of purchase. This will help prove the store’s guilt if necessary. But even in supermarkets you can buy a fake if it has the same certificates and excise stamps as high-quality vodka.

Capping quality

How to distinguish burnt vodka by this sign? First of all, you need to pay attention to the type of bottle. Check if the cap does not rotate or leak. In most cases, vodka in a bottle with a roll-on dispenser is real, since it is very difficult to counterfeit such containers outside the production process.

The screw cap must have a safety ring. An important characteristic is the level of liquid in the bottle. Containers that have a screw cap must be filled to the middle of the neck. If a capless plug is used, then the liquid level is slightly above the hanger.

Bottle contents

The drink must be inspected in the light by turning the container upside down. Look for sediment or other foreign particles. Their presence indicates that the vodka is adulterated. If you shake the bottle, you can see large bubbles. This means that the drink contains a lot of water and its quality is low. Burnt vodka may be cloudy with a yellowish or pinkish tint.

Bottling date stamp

Each bottle must have a bottling date stamp. Place it on the outside or inside of the label, on the glass of the bottle or cap. Regardless of where the stamp is located, the inscriptions on it should be easy to read. The bottling dates on the label and cap must match.

Label

Since in the factory, bottle stickers are applied automatically to bottles, they must be firmly, evenly glued and free of tears or other damage. Uneven and sloppy glue strokes indicate that this is scorched vodka. If the product is real, then the pictures and inscriptions on the label will be bright and easy to read. On a fake, the label is dim, the inscriptions are illegible and may have a barcode that must be clear and not blurry.

The label itself must contain the details of the manufacturer. The absence of such information may indicate that the enterprise as such does not exist at all. The front side must contain a certification mark, license number, information about the date of bottling, the strength of the drink and its composition, as well as the name and address of the manufacturer.

Alcohol quality

How to recognize burnt vodka if nothing suspicious was found on the bottle? It would be a good idea to evaluate the quality of the alcohol. To do this you will need a teaspoon and a lighter. The heated vodka will flare up, and when it burns out, you need to sniff the rest. A liquid with a strong unpleasant odor contains foreign impurities.

To determine the presence of fusel oils in a drink that is suspicious, you need to add sulfuric acid to it in the same volume. If the vodka turns black, it means it contains large amounts of it. Try putting blue water in alcohol. The admixture of acids can be judged by its coloring red.

To determine the presence of methanol, 10 ml of a suspicious drink is mixed with a small amount of dissolved laundry soap, a couple of drops of iodine are added and heated over fire. If methanol is present in vodka, then the yellow precipitate that appears in the presence of ethanol or acetone does not form.

Manufacturer protection

To protect goods from counterfeiting, some manufacturers use additional protection systems that cannot be counterfeited. These include relief coats of arms, quality markers, and more. If you want to purchase a quality product, check out the information on the manufacturer’s website about what additional protection measures are used.

To protect yourself from counterfeits, you need to buy alcoholic beverages from large stores that have liquor license information. Be attentive to small details that manufacturers of counterfeit vodka often forget about.

One can argue endlessly about the dangers and benefits of vodka, but one way or another, among the huge number of products consumed by humans, it still occupies a special and significant position: as a rule, not a single feast is complete without this product. It is thanks to its popularity and demand that vodka has become an object of profit for lovers of “easy and fast” money.

When purchasing this product, even in a store, it is easy to stumble upon a counterfeit. And this is fraught with not at all fun consequences - from deterioration of health to death. In order to minimize the risk as much as possible, when choosing vodka you need to know some rules and adhere to them. This will help distinguish the real product from the fake.

And so, all vodka products are divided into three main groups: elite vodka, Premium vodka and so-called folk vodka. As for “Elite” vodka, until recently, it was believed that it was exclusively foreign production. Recently, domestic producers have also mastered this class of vodka quite well and have become worthy competitors to foreign producers, and have even succeeded in some ways. Elite vodka has always had an appropriate price.

According to experts, vodka of this level is practically not counterfeited, based on economic indicators: quickly invested (that is, quickly counterfeited) - quickly received (that is, returned the money). It sells out much slower than “folk” vodka. In addition, it requires more investment to fake it. However, “practically do not forge” and “do not forge at all” are not at all the same thing: our “craftsmen” are capable of anything.

After 1991, when the state monopoly on alcohol was abolished, domestic shelves began to be filled with Premium vodka. Initially, these were exclusively imported products, and not always meeting the quality and established standards. Today, domestic manufacturers have practically ousted foreign competitors from this market and filled the niche with their products. As a rule, the bottles into which Premium vodka is bottled are not standard: shaped bottles with embossing, engravings, “floating” designs and illustrations that appear when the temperature changes - there are a great many options. Of course, counterfeiting such vodka is a troublesome task, however, according to various experts, approximately 5–7 percent of counterfeiting occurs here.

But the most favorite object of counterfeiting by the “guild workers” was and remains the so-called “folk” vodka. And the cheaper it is, the more dangerous it is. It’s no secret that inexpensive vodka is in considerable demand, which means that quite a lot of people are at risk of being poisoned by the “vodka”. The following recommendations will significantly reduce this risk. So, take a close look at the bottle.

Label. This is what buyers look at when choosing a product. But take a closer look... On factory-produced vodka, the label on the bottle is always glued evenly - the glue is applied automatically. If you look through the bottle at the other side of the label, you can see even strips of applied glue, spaced equally apart from each other. In addition, the label on “real” vodka, unlike the “leftist” one, is smooth and gives the impression of being polished. The markings on the label must correspond to the markings on the cork: the date and manufacturer must match. The presence of a back label and a tax stamp with a hologram applied is mandatory! Excise stamps are numbered, and numbers on excise stamps cannot be repeated. The repetition of numbers on the same batch of alcohol indicates that the excise stamps were stamped somewhere in a handicraft way, and the vodka is counterfeit.

Cork. First of all, the plug should not rotate. In factory manufacturing conditions, such a product is subject to rejection. If the bottle is rolled up with the so-called capless cap, then in factory vodka the cork fits exactly tightly around the circumference of the bottle neck. And most importantly, there are no marking defects. A fake is always distinguished by the presence of small waves on the cork and looseness of adherence to the neck of the bottle. It is also necessary to pay attention to the filling capacity of the bottle. In the factory, bottles with a screw cap are filled to the middle of the neck, with a capless cap - slightly higher than the “shoulder” of the bottle.

Laser engraving. Laser engraving is rightfully considered to be reliable protection against counterfeiting, since its application is possible only in a factory assembly line with special equipment. At the moment when the bottle is about to leave the conveyor, an engraving is applied on the cap and at the same time on the glass of the bottle neck using a laser beam, indicating the date and time the bottle left the conveyor. The numbers printed on the cap perfectly match the similar characters printed on the neck of the bottle. It will be immediately obvious if the bottle has been used before and has been rolled around with new contents.

Bottom. A bottle of factory-produced vodka may have slight traces of oil on the bottom - this is the result of the bottle passing through the factory conveyor. If vodka is the “product” of illegal workshops, then the oil trace will be much more noticeable.

Liquid. When visually examining the bottle, take a closer look at the contents. The filling must be transparent. The presence of any white deposits or crystals on the glass is excluded. Vodka can be checked with litum paper. Reddening of the paper indicates the addition of sulfuric or acetic acid to the vodka. You can heat a spoon with vodka over low heat until the liquid ignites. The presence of a sharp and unpleasant odor will indicate the presence of fusel oils in the contents of the bottle.
Consuming a low-quality counterfeit product can lead to very tragic consequences. The human body’s reaction to the substances that make up low-quality alcohol, from which lovers of easy money on other people’s health make their vodka, is completely unpredictable. Someone's liver may simply fail, someone may lose their sight, and someone may lose their life.

Don't skimp on your health! It's not worth it. Think about those who are close to you and to whom you can cause pain and grief with your careless actions! Be healthy and happy!

Memorable events, holidays and celebrations are rarely complete without alcohol. But one hundred grams of a good snack has never harmed anyone, especially if it is a high-quality drink. And it’s good if you have firm confidence in the manufacturer. But in most cases, we choose a bottle at random, based on the advice of a consultant who is not an expert in matters of alcohol production. At the same time, burnt vodka is not at all synonymous with cheap. There are counterfeits of elite, expensive alcohol, and if you choose it, you can also get severe poisoning. And even if you were lucky this time, and consuming counterfeit products did not affect your health in any way, it is not a fact that tomorrow everything will end just as well.

Burnt vodka is poison for the body

I would like to get better a little: any alcohol is to some extent destructive. It all depends on the quantity drunk and the quality of the drink produced. Unfortunately, the number of counterfeit products on the market is very large. Low-quality vodka contains fusel oils and impurities that poison your body. But the most dangerous option is when it is made on the basis not of ethyl alcohol, but of methyl alcohol. It is impossible to distinguish them by taste and color, which is why burnt vodka causes so many deaths. Methyl alcohol poisoning is much more dangerous; it can lead to blindness and even death.

How to suspect a fake

Even in the store, you can assume that what you have in your hands is not a product that can be called high-quality. Burnt vodka is not bottled using proprietary equipment, which means that some defects may be found:

• Pay attention to how the cap is screwed on. If the thread turns, the cap itself dangles, and is held on a transparent polyethylene lid, then this indicates that even if the product was bottled at the company, it was later opened and replaced with a surrogate.
• Since it is not easy to distinguish burnt vodka from real vodka, you will have to examine the bottle very carefully. If the bottling stamp on the label does not match the stamp on the cap, then you should not buy such a drink.

Attention to the label

And we continue to consider how to identify burnt vodka. It is very important to examine the label. It must be glued evenly, and all inscriptions must be legible. This also applies to the excise stamp. The plant is required to indicate the full legal address, the composition of the drink and the GOST according to which it is made. But here there is one important point. Only little-known brands are checked this way. Sometimes a surrogate is issued under a new brand that is just entering the market.

But if a well-known brand is counterfeited, then such a check will not yield anything. Counterfeiters simply copy the finished label. In this case, only a real professional will be able to show how to distinguish burnt vodka from real one. If the manufacturer decides to save money, then dull paper, traces of glue and hard-to-read letters will give it away. But a well-executed fake will not give itself away so easily. We will have to compare other parameters.

Price - quality - appearance

When talking about how to understand that vodka is scorched, you need to take into account not just one sign, but their totality as a whole. The first is the point of sale. The smaller the store, the higher the chance of purchasing low-quality goods. This is especially true for kiosks that operate in remote areas of the city. In large supermarkets, the risk of buying counterfeit goods is less, but it also remains. Most often, they themselves become victims of deception, buying a fake with all the “certificates”.

The second point you need to pay attention to is the price. If a person prefers a certain brand, then he knows how much it costs. If you find similar products at one retail outlet, but 30% cheaper, know: the risk of buying a fake is too great.

Don't forget to inspect the drink itself. The vodka itself is completely transparent, without turbidity or sediment at the bottom. To check this, you need to turn the bottle upside down and hold it for a few seconds. Any cloudiness or suspension is a reason to immediately put the bottle in its place.

Manufacturer protection

Today there are many ways to protect your goods from counterfeits. But not everyone knows about them, which is why today we are talking about how to check whether vodka is scorched or not. I would like to emphasize that this only applies to expensive brands; in this case, manufacturers can afford such luxury. She puts embossed signs and coats of arms on the bottle. But here lies the main catch. There are a lot of brands, and each of them has its own methods of protection. Therefore, before going to the store, you will have to decide on the brand and study them on the manufacturer’s official website.

Note!

• Price. It must be market-based.
• The presence of an aluminum divider on the cap.
• Compound. Choose luxury, extra or alpha alcohols.
• Unique code. Using it you can find out via the Internet about the authenticity of a particular bottle.
• Excise stamp. It is printed on special paper without colored inclusions.
• The barcode must be readable.
• It is impossible to fake the protruding inscriptions on the bottle; for this you need to purchase the same equipment as from the manufacturer.

Home experiments

It happens that you were not the one who bought the alcohol. Or you bought it in a hurry, but at home you want to make sure again that the product is of proper quality. There are several ways to do this, but none of them are very reliable. First, pour vodka into a spoon and set it on fire. When the fire goes out, smell the contents. A pungent and unpleasant odor should be a reason to refuse the drink. An additional experiment would be to vigorously shake the contents of the bottle. If large bubbles form, it means there is a lot of water in the vodka.

If acid has been added to a low-quality drink, this can be determined in several ways. Dip litmus paper, onion peels or cornflower flowers into it. The redness of any of these indicators indicates that it is better to refrain from drinking alcohol today.

If you have a car, get some sulfuric acid. It will be needed to determine whether vodka contains fusel oils. Sulfuric acid mixed with alcohol should darken. The same goes for manganese. You can see the result in the photo below.

To determine whether it contains poisonous methyl alcohol, the consumption of which can lead to death, you can dip a hot wire into the drink. It will react with the liquid, and if the alcohol is of poor quality, a pungent odor of formaldehyde will appear.

Signs of methyl alcohol poisoning

If you are not a connoisseur and connoisseur of alcohol, then it will be quite difficult to evaluate the drink. It all depends on what exactly is contained in vodka in addition to the usual ethyl alcohol, water and softening components. In any case, it won't hurt to smell the alcohol. A pungent, unpleasant odor indicates that it is better to throw away the bottle than to put your health at risk.

Instead of a conclusion

Counterfeit vodka is produced in Russia and also imported from neighboring countries. It can be very good, even superior in quality to the original, but it can also be deadly. Therefore, it is best to buy alcohol in specialized stores. Feel free to ask the seller for a certificate for each type of product. These must be originals with the manufacturer's watermarks. Then you can be sure that the purchased drink does not threaten the life and health of the people who will consume it.

And finally: do not forget that even the highest quality alcohol should not be drunk in excessive quantities.