Abstract 1. 1. For three groups of rats, intraperitoneal injections of either 250, 500, or 1000 mg/kg ethanol were paired with a distinctive environment and later a choice was offered between that environment and one that had previously been associated with saline injections. 2. 2. For a second set of three groups of animals the identical procedure was followed except that food was available in both the environment paired with ethanol and the one paired with saline. 3. 3. The rats showed no preference or aversion for the environment paired with the 250 mg/kg dose either when the drug was given alone or when combined with the availability of food. No preference or aversion for the 500 mg/kg dose was indicated when the drug was given alone, but the same dose combined with food was preferred to food plus saline. The 1000 mg/kg dose was found to be aversive when given by itself, yet the same dose was neither aversive nor preferred when combined with the availability of food. 4. 4. These findings suggest that ethanol can interact with food, a positive reinforcer, in ways that cannot be predicted from the effect of the drug when presented alone.