The Core

Why We Are Here => Water Cooler => Topic started by: rcjordan on December 05, 2017, 01:00:46 PM

Title: Bacteria Can Live In Ice Cubes, But Not In Whisky
Post by: rcjordan on December 05, 2017, 01:00:46 PM
Quotebacteria grew very differently in the different solutions, all four of which could grow in vodka and peach tea. However, only one of the four could grow in tonic water and two of the four in Coke. Across the board, nothing grew in whisky.

https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/12/01/bacteria-can-live-ice-cubes-not-whisky-12196

What about gin?
Title: Re: Bacteria Can Live In Ice Cubes, But Not In Whisky
Post by: Brad on December 05, 2017, 02:52:07 PM
This reminds me of a story :

During the filming of the movie, "The African Queen" on location in Africa everybody was worried about coming down with dysentery.  Katherine Hepburn took elaborate precautions but still caught it along with most of the cast and crew. Director John Huston and Humphrey Bogart took their own precautions :  they avoided all other liquids and drank only whisky during the entire movie shoot even using it to wet their tooth brushes. They never got sick.
Title: Re: Bacteria Can Live In Ice Cubes, But Not In Whisky
Post by: littleman on December 05, 2017, 05:29:41 PM
This gets me wondering if a person could survive drinking nothing but whisky for weeks on end.  I would assume that the alcohol percentage is too high and cause the whisky to act as a dietetic and cause the person to dehydrate.
Title: Re: Bacteria Can Live In Ice Cubes, But Not In Whisky
Post by: rcjordan on December 05, 2017, 05:32:42 PM
One of my daughters did a stint as a McD assistant manager. She said never get the ice.
Title: Re: Bacteria Can Live In Ice Cubes, But Not In Whisky
Post by: Brad on December 06, 2017, 06:07:25 PM
I wonder if the tannins from aging in oak barrels make whisky more effective against bacteria than vodka?
Title: Re: Bacteria Can Live In Ice Cubes, But Not In Whisky
Post by: ergophobe on December 06, 2017, 07:25:01 PM
Quote from: littleman on December 05, 2017, 05:29:41 PM
This gets me wondering if a person could survive drinking nothing but whisky for weeks on end.  I would assume that the alcohol percentage is too high and cause the whisky to act as a dietetic and cause the person to dehydrate.

Freshman year of college, the woman down the hall became a serious alcoholic. Unbeknownst to everyone, she was filling her water bottle with clear alcohols - vodka, gin. She was hospitalized for dehydration.
Title: Re: Bacteria Can Live In Ice Cubes, But Not In Whisky
Post by: Travoli on December 06, 2017, 09:18:55 PM
>alcohol percentage is too high

I believe anything over ~2% dehydrates.
Title: Re: Bacteria Can Live In Ice Cubes, But Not In Whisky
Post by: ergophobe on December 06, 2017, 11:08:28 PM
This says 10%
https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/questions/drink-wine-or-drink-nothing

This says no level of alcohol is hydrating
http://www.foodandwine.com/news/whats-least-dehydrating-alcohol