Show off your computer by linking it to your profile, and help the community by contributing to the site.
Alcohol proof is a measure of the content of ethanol (alcohol) in an alcoholic beverage. The term was originally used in the United Kingdom and was equal to about 1.75 times the alcohol by volume (ABV). The UK now uses the ABV standard instead of alcohol proof. In the United States, alcohol proof is defined as twice the percentage of ABV.
Some sources say that the presence of fire indicated 50 percent alcohol, and some say it just meant that the alcohol wasn't watered down. In any case, fire proved that the alcohol was acceptable. These stories explain how the term proof might have originated, but they don't really tell us how our modern-day definition came about.