Alcohol proof is the measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage. The term “proof” originated with sailors, actually. In the 18th century British sailors kept rations of rum. To make sure that the rum wasn’t watered down, it was “proved” by pouring gunpowder in it and lighting it on fire. If the alcohol didn’t ignite, it had too much water in it and considered “under proof.”
Gunpowder won’t burn in rum that is 57.15 percent alcohol by volume. The use of “proof” in measuring alcohol is now mostly historical. No one really measures alcohol content with gunpowder these days. Today we measure and label alcohol by the percentage of alcohol by volume. Some countries also use a measure called a standard drink.
In Australia, a standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol, which is the average amount an adult male can metabolize in one hour. The purpose of a standard drink measuring system is to help drinkers monitor and control their alcohol intake.
