Retention of ethanol in a droplet of maltodextrin solution during drying was studied both theoretically and experimentally under various drying conditions. It was found that a large part of the total amount of ethanol loss occurred in the initial period of drying, and that the final retention of ethanol increased with increasing initial maltodextrin concentration, drying air temperature and velocity, and decreasing of air humidity. Experimental results of the retention of ethanol were in good agreement with theoretical calculations based on so-called selective diffusion theory.