The alcohol molecule bears some resemblance to a sugar molecule, and indeed it has a slightly sweet taste At high concentrations, those typical of distilled spirits and even some strong wines, alcohol is irritating and produces a pungent, “hot” sensation in the mouth, as well as in the nose Its chemical compatibility with other aroma compounds means that concentrated alcohol tends to bind aromas in foods and drinks and inhibit their release into the air Huh I stopped reading when I got to that part and started scratching my head, because I know from past experience that adding alcohol to stews will increase their aroma I tested it out in my Best Short-Rib Chili recipe (here) What’s he on about, inhibiting aromas? But he quickly clears it all up: But at very low concentrations, around percent or less, alcohol actually enhances the release of fruity esters and other aroma molecules into the air Aha! Now it made sense: concentration is an important factor when it comes to its effectiveness as a flavor enhancer That jibes with my past experience Adding a bit of alcohol at the end of cooking is a good idea for stews and chilis, but too much, and the booziness can become overpowering, leaving you smelling nothing but the alcohol instead of the aromas it is supposed to be carrying Whiskey drinkers can tell you that diluting a dram from 40% ABV (Alcohol Percent by Volume) down to 30% or 20% ABV will also bring out aromatics that are otherwise hidden So does the same really happen to pasta with vodka sauce? The Testing To test out the effects of alcohol concentration and cooking, I made a huge batch of “Sauced” columnist Josh Bousel’s Vodka Cream Sauce, leaving out the vodka I then divided it into smaller batches To one set of batches, I added varying concentrations of vodka, diluting the alcohol content to various levels starting at 4% ABV of the total sauce down to 1%, tasting the sauce immediately after adding the vodka For the other set of batches, I did the same thing but allowed the sauce to simmer for minutes after adding the vodka before tasting it Of the batches in which I tasted the sauce immediately after adding the vodka, none were great The 4% was downright inedible, with a strong alcoholic aroma and bitter flavor I’m not exactly sure where the bitterness came from Perhaps masking the fruitier, sweeter aroma of the tomatoes ... tasting the sauce immediately after adding the vodka For the other set of batches, I did the same thing but allowed the sauce to simmer for minutes after adding the vodka before tasting it Of the. .. bring out aromatics that are otherwise hidden So does the same really happen to pasta with vodka sauce? The Testing To test out the effects of alcohol concentration and cooking, I made a huge batch of “Sauced” columnist... out the vodka I then divided it into smaller batches To one set of batches, I added varying concentrations of vodka, diluting the alcohol content to various levels starting at 4% ABV of the total