h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My only question has to do with your researcher's input, that the drink is 80% proof. This came up in another entry recently - I don't believe percent and proof are the same thing, unless it's different over there. Proof is usually double the percentage of alcohol content, so something that is 80 proof would only contain 40% alcohol.

Oops, sorry for the delay, been off getting married and just got back to this!

I'm the researcher in question and my quote was in response to a query on my personal knowledge of Medrohno. Not being a huge expert in alcohol (except drinking it!), I phrased my reply the way I would talk and not in a scientific way. Having had a look at the technical term, you are quite right that proof is normally double the actual alcohol content.


From: (sorry, in Portuguese, but the best description I could find)
http://www.gastronomias.com/bar-bebidas/frutos.htm

Nas montanhas, uma boa aguardente deve ter 50º.
No entanto a sua comercialização faz-se entre os 40º e 50º

Loose translation:

In the mountains, a good aguardente is at least 50%abV.
Those for commercial sale are between 40 and 50%abV.

So the mountain stuff is about 100 proof! Obviously, most of this is made in home-made stills and so the alcohol content can be hugely variable as it is not regulated in any way and recipes also vary.

Hope that helps!

Congrats Deakie, hope it all went well!

KB, the US Madrones are Arbutus menziesii, A. arizonica, A. xalapensis, and A texacana, not A. unedo.

It seems that the US has a handful of arbutus species, and Europe has unedo (and there seems to be a Greek arbutus too)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?source=display&classid=ARBUT

http://www.pfaf.org/database/search_name.php?ALLNAMES=Arbutus


It seems that the Madrones have been introduced into the UK (although I'm unsure if they are naturalised - looks like they are still garden trees), so I think it would be useful to mention them as separate non-native species.

http://www.madronearchive.org/

Thanks Elentari, the wedding went really well, much fun and alcohol consumption was had by all - the wedding lasted a week as everyone came out on holiday to Portugal and we had a few massive bashes! We're now camping in the dining room as we decorate our new home!

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

Congrats!

well done!

Deakie and King Bomba

*pulls out a low table*

I got this lovely entry to sub here: A22548567 so if there is anything you'd like tweaked or finessed, please let me know.



It's just like being back at school with a project deadline again

W