Alcohol Float

Rakı, a traditional Turkish alcoholic beverage, is typically prepared into a drink by pouring one or two shots of Rakı into a glass and then diluting it with cold water and/or ice. Rakı is transparent and colorless, but when mixed with water, it becomes a cloudy and white homogeneous mixture. If the order is changed, cold water is added first, then Rakı, and Rakı is added slowly the glass may have two phases. Rakı floats on top because alcohol in it makes it less dense than water. Water becomes denser as it cools down to 4 degrees Celsius. Therefore, phase separation is more visible when the water is cold. Students observe the science behind phase separation of alcohol-water mixtures with Prof. Dr. Sibel Ozilgen as a part of 'Foods and Their Specifications' course at the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department, Yeditepe University.