Join FunTrivia for Free: Hourly trivia games, quizzes, community, and more!
Fun Trivia
Ask FunTrivia: Questions and Answers
Answers to 100,000 Fascinating Questions
Welcome to FunTrivia's Question & Answer forum!

Search All Questions


Please cite any factual claims with citation links or references from authoritative sources. Editors continuously recheck submissions and claims.

Archived Questions

Goto Qn #


Why are many alcoholic drinks refered to as "dry"?

Question #41912. Asked by Gimboid.

riotgrrl
Answer has 2 votes
riotgrrl
23 year member
113 replies

Answer has 2 votes.
They are mostly based on dry gin, that is, gin with no added sugar. Quite how this became known as dry, though, I have no idea.

Dec 03 2003, 1:56 PM
griffinj
Answer has 3 votes
Currently Best Answer
griffinj
21 year member
563 replies

Answer has 3 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
Dry is the opposite of sweet. Dry in wines usually refers to less than 0.5% residual sugar. In cocktails it sometimes, but hardly always, indicates the inclusion of dry gin or vermouth.
e.g a very dry martini would have minimal or no vermouth.
Wines are often categorized by their sweetness or lack thereof. "Brut" wines are not sweet at all (referred to as "dry"), while "demi sec" wines are fairly sweet. Terms like "off-dry" (very slightly sweet), "extra dry" (medium sweet) and "sec" (slightly sweet) are also used. Most champagnes are brut while dessert wines are demi sec. The term usually appears on the label somewhere under the brand name.

Dec 03 2003, 7:57 PM
free email trivia FREE! Get a new mixed Fun Trivia quiz each day in your email. It's a fun way to start your day!


arrow Your Email Address:

Sign in or Create Free User ID to participate in the discussion