Thursday, 14 November 2013

The History of Vodka

Vodka is said to be developed in the Northern European region. olish !laim it "as their dis!overy. The #ussians "ill tell you it "as theirs. $espite the spe!ulation, "e "ill try to summari%e it in a !ouple o& paragraphs, using its ba!kground in the three !ountries that played the biggest role in its development ' #ussia, oland, and ("eden. Vodka !ame to be a huge part o& the #ussian !ulture, as it "as being distilled even be&ore the "ord vodka !ame into general use. )lthough it has been des!ribed by many other names, the "ord vodka is a diminutive o& the "ord voda* in #ussia, meaning "ater. The distilling te!hni+ues had signi&i!antly emerged in #ussia &rom the 12th !entury, "hen they had to redistill the vodka mi, to get rid o& the &used oils that "ere used, to the 1-th !entury, "hen distilling te!hni+ues "ere learned &rom &oreigners, as honey no" "as used to improve the aroma and the &lavor o& vodka. .n the 1/th !entury, it "as later dis!overed that !har!oal "as a great method to &iltrate the mi,, to get rid o& the unne!essary by'produ!ts, even though the spirit had to be diluted be&ore it "as &iltered. $istilling te!hni+ues and strategies &urther improved "ith the introdu!tion o& di&&erent herbs and spi!es. .n spite o& the multiple vodka varieties that the #ussians have been introdu!ed to, in!luding vodka made out o& "heat and potatoes, rye "as !onsidered to produ!e the &inest taste. Over the years, Russia experienced problems with vodka, namely moral issues, as drunkenness became an issue. In 1917, vodka was banned from the markets and, until 19 !, bevera"es over #$% of alcohol content could not be sold. &ince the culture's attitude resembled a de"ree of depression, the ban on vodka was removed. (runkenness, a"ain, became an issue with the Russian culture. )onse*uently, +orbachev tried to take control of this fact, increasin" prices and imposin" various policies, but that only forced the Russians to take the operation under"round, creatin" an alcoholic mix called samo"on, meanin" self,brew. 0urrently, vodka is mainly distilled in 1os!o" under various !ompanies like .$V, the o"ners o& (mirno&&, and still serves as a !om&orter &or #ussians &rom some o& the horrors o& daily li&e. In the -th century, stron" alcohol was discovered in .oland, when wine was left over durin" the winter to free/e0 however, the solution produced was used for medicinal purposes, as opposed to drinkin". It was used for these purposes up until the 11th century, when "or/alka, or burnt wine, was produced, as a result o& the kno"ledge o& distilling spirit &rom "ine spreading to oland. 1oreover, olish historians !laim that vodka "as &irst produ!ed in 140- and is said to have rea!hed #ussia &rom oland. 2y the &irst hal& o& the 13th !entury, 4ing 5an 6bra!ht o& oland allo"ed the produ!tion and sales o& al!ohol. 7ater, in 1-82 he limited the produ!tion and sales o& al!ohol to the gentry, &rom "hi!h a 109 ta, "as e,tra!ted. .t "as not until the 18th !entury, that vodka "as established as a national drink. .n this period o& time, olish also started e,porting their produ!tion to Northern European Dimitri Lezinska 28 Shottsford, 100 Talbot Road Notting Hill London W2 L! +447971193330

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!ountries like #ussia. 2y the 1/th !entury, their te!hni+ues had !onse+uently advan!ed, resulting in su!h pra!ti!es as triple distillation. 0urrently, olmos, the largest vodka distiller in oland, en!ompasses 2- independent distilleries and holds the domesti! market rights "ith a :no &ee: li!ense to produ!e the !lassi! vodka brands. ("eden did not play as huge a role as #ussia and oland have in the vodka movement, partly be!ause o& the strong temperan!e movement that took pla!e be&ore the 1;th !entury. <o"ever, .t is interesting to note that ("eden, like oland, also used vodka &or medi!inal bene&its, at &irst. 2y the 13th !entury, vodka "as o&&i!ially sold as a li+uor beverage. There "ere multiple attempts to ban its produ!tion &or health reasons, =udging &rom the !ondition o& the ("edish !ulture, but it "as de!ided that its resulting revenue "as &ar more signi&i!ant than the !ulture>s health. These temperan!e movements reappeared throughout the ("edish history, but evidently, did not a&&e!t the su!!ess o& the !ompany Vin ? (pirit, kno"n &or their )bsolut brand vodka. (our!e@ 0lassi! Vodka by Ni!holas Aaith ? .an Bisnie"ski@ 7ondon, rion 2ooks@ 1;;8. (our!e used "ith permission &rom the publisher.

The "ord CvodkaD has been kno"n sin!e the 18th !entury and is most likely a derivative o& CvodaD E"aterF. .n the past, other names "ere also used &or the drink@ "ine Ebread "ineF, kor!hma or kor!hma "ine, distilled "ine, burning "ine, burnt "ine and bitter "ine among others. .t is thought that the drink itsel&, or rather its an!estor, a strong drink !alled a+ua vitae E7atin &or C"ater o& li&eDF, "as &irst brought to #ussia by Genoese mer!hants on their "ay to 7ithuania. They travelled via 1os!o", "here the &oreign guests had an audien!e "ith rin!e $mitry .vanovi!h, !alled $onskoy &or his vi!tory over the 1ongol'Tartar army on the 4ulikovo Aield by the #iver $on. Alattered by the hospitality o& the 1os!o" governor, they presented him "ith vessels "ith the above mentioned spirit. <o"ever, our an!estors "ere not mu!h impressed "ith this distilled &ermented grape =ui!e. 1ead and beer "ere more popular in #ussia at the time. Time passed and in 142;, &oreign visitors brought a+ua vitae to 1os!o" on!e again* this time it "as served as the universal !ure. The li+uid "as appre!iated at the !ourt o& the young prin!e Vasily the (e!ond Vasilievit!h, "ho later lost his eyesight in the &eud "ith his relatives and got the ni!kname o& C$arkD. )s the drink "as too strong, it "as normally diluted "ith "ater. .t is likely that the idea o& diluting al!ohol Ethat is "hat a+ua vitae a!tually "asF "ith "ater "as the starting point &or manu&a!turing #ussian vodka that "as produ!ed &rom grain, "hi!h "as abundant in #ussia. .n the 1-th !entury the monasteries o& #ussia began produ!ing grain vodka.

Dimitri Lezinska 28 Shottsford, 100 Talbot Road Notting Hill London W2 L! +447971193330

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)s early as the beginning o& the 13th !entury Cburning "ineD "as brought not to #ussia, but &rom it. .t "as the &irst e,perien!e o& the #ussian e,port o& vodka that later "ould take over the "hole "orld. .t is "orth mentioning that in the end o& the 1-th !entury the grand prin!e o& 1os!o" and the Tsar o& all #ussia, .van the Third E"ho had an astute and strategi! mindF introdu!ed a state monopoly on the produ!tion and selling o& vodka, as "ell as on all other al!oholi! drinks.

.n 1-33, the &irst CTsar>s kabakD "as opened, a pla!e "here various al!oholi! drinks, in!luding vodka, !ould be bought and !onsumed. .n the times o& .van the Terrible kabaks "ere rather "idely spread. These pla!es "ere mostly &re+uented by the Tsar>s guards, "ho had no +ualms at parting "ith their money earned "ith no signi&i!ant e&&ort. 1os!o" kabaks "ere mentioned in the diaries and travel =ournals o& &oreigners "ho visited the 1os!o" lands during the se!ond hal& o& the 13th !entury, !alling kabaks them C#ussian tavernsD. 2y the "ay, the "ord CkabakD is not (lavi! by origin. .ts origin is not kno"n* the only thing that linguists are sure about is that it "as brought to #ussia &rom some"here in the East. .n kabaks, people drank, &ought, played di!e, but, un&ortunately, did not eat. The kabak business "as very pro&itable &or the state* this is "hy the #urikovi!hes, 2oris Godunov and the &irst #omanovs did not only keep the state monopoly, but made it more rigid. The 18th !entury "as =ustly termed rebellious by the !ontemporaries sin!e it "as a series o& revolts and all sorts o& roguish a!tivities. )longside the C!opperD, CsaltD and other revolts, there "ere also the CkabakD revolts "hi!h "ere !aused by the kabak supervisors and their assistants> abuse o& their positions. Throughout #ussian history, the manner o& vodka produ!tion and sales has !hanged many times. The system o& "ine lease, the right to produ!e and sell vodka &or a payment o& a small per!entage o& in!ome to the state, that made the leaseholders &abulously ri!h, "as !onstantly being introdu!ed and "ithdra"n. eter the Airst !ombined leases "ith the state sale o& vodka, trying to in!rease the in!ome &or the state to a ma,imum. $uring the reign o& eter the Great, the dynasties o& #ussian Cvodka kingsD started. .n 1813, the &irst Emperor o& all #ussia o&&ered the aristo!ra!y and the mer!hants the e,!lusive right to distil "ine. .n the middle o& the 1/th !entury, vodka "as produ!ed not only by state'o"ned distilleries, but also by land'o"ning aristo!ra!y. Empress 0atherine the (e!ond, "ho &avoured the nobility and granted it numerous privileges, made "ine distillation the sole privilege o& the aristo!ra!y. The Empress>s order o& 1ar!h 31, 183- allo"ed only the nobility to distil "ine and also &reed them o& all a!!ompanying ta,es. #i!h mer!hants that made their &ortunes at the time "hen anybody !ould produ!e vodka i& he paid the C"ine distillation ta,D tried to share in the o"nership o& distilleries "ith aristo!rats or use their names in the do!umentation. <o"ever, the government sa" to it that the privilege o& the Dimitri Lezinska 28 Shottsford, 100 Talbot Road Notting Hill London W2 L! +447971193330

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nobility "as kept and mer!ilessly punished those "ho disobeyed, !on&is!ating su!h distilleries. .t is not surprising then that the largest part o& vodka "as produ!ed in the estate o& the nobility and the +uality o& the drink "as unsurpassable. The produ!ers attempted at high +uality "ater !leaning and used natural proteins@ milk and egg "hite. .t is also interesting to note that home'made vodka, unlike that o& the state distilleries, "as mostly &lavoured. $uring the pro!ess o& making home'made vodka, the al!ohol "as distilled three times, "ater and various plant &lavours "ere added, and then the vodka "as distilled on!e more &or the &ourth timeH )!!ording to !ontemporaries, the tables in the estates o& the nobility bore de!anters "ith drinks that today "e !annot even imagineH (ophisti!ated gourmets !onsidered it a point o& honour to have all sorts o& vodka "ith &lavours "hose names started "ith all letters o& the #ussian alphabet. Bith !herry and pear, bla!kberry and a!orn, !ara"ay seed and dill, bird !herry and sage "hat a number o& berries, roots and tree seeds "as used &or &lavouring the traditional #ussian drinkH )nd, almost every lando"ner had his o"n spe!ial sort o& vodkaH .n the 1;th !entury, beginning "ith the atrioti! Bar o& 1/12, the #ussian treasury got less, the rouble under"ent in&lation, and the government introdu!ed a state monopoly on vodka in the largest part o& the #ussian empire, e,!ept &or (iberia, "here it "as useless to !ontrol the leaseholders, any"ay. .t is +uite !hara!teristi! that a&ter the "ar "ith Napoleon "as over, #ussian vodka "as highly appre!iated in Aran!e and it "as not !onsidered to be =ust one more e,oti! drink, but something noble and pure, brought to the Aren!h by those "ho de&eated 2uonaparte. .n #ussia, the system o& vodka produ!tion and sale kept !hanging. )&ter the re&orms, &irst, the e,!ise system "as introdu!ed, then the ideas o& the best "ay to sell bread "ine "ere !onsidered. 2e&ore 1//- vodka "as sold only in bu!kets E12.3 litresF* no" bottles be!ame more "idespread.

The invention o& this vodka is !onne!ted "ith the name o& the &amous !hemist $. .. 1endeleev. The s!ientist had been sear!hing &or the ideal volume and "eight ratio o& al!ohol and "ater &or a year and a hal& and a&ter having solved the problem published his &indings in his do!torate dissertation C6n 0ombining )l!ohol and BaterD. 1endeleev>s !on!lusions "ere appre!iated and su!!ess&ully applied in al!oholometry and vodka produ!tion. .n 1/;4'1/;3 the national standard &or vodka "as established and the state monopoly on vodka that gradually spread all over the !ountry "as introdu!ed.

Dimitri Lezinska 28 Shottsford, 100 Talbot Road Notting Hill London W2 L! +447971193330

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The prohibition measures that "ere &irst introdu!ed during the "ar "ith 5apan o& 1;04'1;0- are alone "orth a separate detailed story. There is also the Cprohibition la"D introdu!ed by the government o& the #ussian Empire on )ugust 2, 1;14 and o&&i!ially !an!elled by the (oviet government only in 1;2-. .t is notable that the above mentioned monopoly on vodka led to a !ertain de!rease in the number o& al!oholi!s Eanumber that "as +uite s!ary in the beginning o& the 20th !enturyF. To a great e,tent this de!rease "as in&luen!ed by the regulations &or selling vodka ' in many regions vodka !ould be sold only be&ore / p.m. <o"ever, this limitation did not "ork in (t. etersburg and 1os!o". .t is not surprising then that in 1;-3 the C1os!o" (pe!ialD "as a"arded a gold medal at an international e,hibition in ("it%erland. )mong the items in the museum>s !olle!tion, visitors "ill re!ognise the "ell'kno"n C(toli!hnayaD label "ithout di&&i!ulties. This brand be!ame very popular both at home and abroad as soon as it appeared on the market. .n 1ay 1;/-, the beginning o& Gorba!hev>s era, the sadly remembered do!ument C6n the .mproved 1easures )gainst $runkenness and )l!oholismD stru!k a heavy blo" to the national li+uor and vodka industry. )lthough a&ter - years time the absurd de!ision "as !onsidered erroneous, #ussia !an still &eel the damage today.

6n 5une 8 1;;2, the &irst #ussian president, 2. N. Ieltsin issued the $e!ree on the )bolition o& the (tate 1onopoly on Vodka. )s a result, the !ountry "as &looded "ith lo" +uality, very o&ten &ake, and there&ore, ha%ardous produ!t. The e&&e!t o& this "idespread &ake vodka "as so apparent, and the budget losses so noti!eable, that in a year, on 5une 11, 1;;3, the ne" presidential de!ree "as issued. This time it "as !alled C6n the#eestablishment o& the (tate 1onopoly on rodu!tion, (torage, Bholesale and #etail o& )l!oholi! rodu!tsD. The history of Russian vodka .n the old times #ussian people didnJt have any idea o& getting drunk. 2e&ore the adoption o& the 0hristianity alcoholic beverages "ere put on the table to !elebrate three holidays@ the birth o& a !hild, a military vi!tory or the &uneral. E,pensive, ri!h &easts "ere a&&orded only by the Great rin!es and used as politi!al events to sign ne" !ontra!ts or arrange ne" !onta!ts. The most popular strong beverages "ere !onsidered Dimitri Lezinska 28 Shottsford, 100 Talbot Road Notting Hill London W2 L! +447971193330

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honey wines, braga (strong bread beverage) and beer. .n the an!ient #us vodka "as highly appre!iated and used as mira!le'"orking medi!ine, !ombined "ith herbs e,tra!ts &or e,ternal and internal use, not more than a hal& a spoon. Vodka "as !onsidered good to heal the "ounds and relieve the pain. The gro"ing popularity o& this strong beverage helped its &ast spreading. The &irst bread wine "as made in the 0hudov monastery in the 4remlin in the middle o& 1- !entury. 1onastery distillation !ompeted "ith the (tate Treasury and the Great prin!e .van ... brought in the Airst vodka monopoly that lasted till 130-. The ne,t re&ormer "as .van The Terrible "ho interdi!ted to pur!hase vodka in 1os!o" and ordered to build &or his servants a spe!ial house, "hi!h "as !alled in a Tatar "ay kabak Ethat means drinking "ithout sna!kF. The ne" pla!e be!ame to the tsarJs liking and the entertaining pla!e. Thanks to that, the ine,haustible sour!e o& treasury enri!hment "as &ound. (o, sin!e 1--- kabaks appeared in di&&erent #ussian !ities and got into the traditional pla!e to have a drink and a spe!ial parti!ularity o& #ussian urbanism. 6nly !ommon people "ere allo"ed to drink in the kabaks. eople o& upper !lasses should drink al!ohol at home and the people "hose a!tivity "as the art should not drink alcohol at any rate. (u!!ess&ul years o& eter the GreatJs government, "hose love to"ards the &easts and &estivals "as the talk o& the !ountry, a!!ustomed people to mu!h al!ohol. 2ut the tsar also brought in the strict order in alcohol drinking. .t "as the rule to "ork the "hole "eek and allo"ed to have al!oholi! drinks only on the holidays. eter . loved al!ohol so mu!h that he !ould drink 33 glasses o& "ine during the day. Thanks to him, #ussian Empire learned to drink vodka in a s"eeping and =oy&ul manner. Vodka was a ust o& a !ombat ration. #ussian soldiers !arried al!ohol drinks to en!ourage themselves on the &ield o& battle. The soldier got 2 !ups o& vodka E1-'1/9F every day.(imple "orkers "ere not deprived o& their due share of vodka, too. 6ne glass E!harkaF o& lo" +uality vodka "as supposed to every builder, road "orker or do!ker. .n the middle o& 1/ !entury, in the time o& 0atherine .. al!oholi! beverage manu&a!turing be!ame the privilege o& the aristo!ra!y. The last royal de!ree admitted the !omplete re&use o& the state monopoly and !ontrol o& private pra!ti!es. $uring many !enturies al!oholi! beverage manu&a!turing di&&ered by private, amateur !hara!ter. The taste o& Kbread "ineL "as improved by numerous &iltrations, &ree%ing and re!ti&ying. Every nobleman had his o"n brand o& vodka and !onsidered prestigious to have the !"# assort ent of vodka with different herbs$ a%%le vodka, &est vodka an others. $rinking !ulture at that time "as very high. The prin!ipal rule "as to keep the mind sober and the vie" o& things sensible. )t the beginning o& 1; !entury large eterJs mug "as !hanged by a German glass that "as o& less si%e. .n kabaks small glasses Estopka M 100 gF !ame into &ashion. 2esides the stopka, people drank vodka in shkaliki E30 gF and !harki E120 gF. .n 1; !entury the &amous Russian che ist 'endeleev developed the basis o& al!oholi! beverage industry. <e, &irst, determined the vague notion KvodkaL "ith s!ienti&i! Dimitri Lezinska 28 Shottsford, 100 Talbot Road Notting Hill London W2 L! +447971193330

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!hara!teristi!s. Vodka be!ame the only name o& prin!ipal #ussian strong drink. Vodka is made &rom rye spirit, dissolved, by "eight, in spring mild "ater until 409 al!ohol. )s during the e,periments, 1endeleev &ound out that only 409 al!ohol releases the ma,imum o& heat and di&&ers by the homogeneity. .n 1/;4 1endeleevJs vodka "as patented as the prin!ipal #ussian al!oholi! beverage, !alled K1os!o" spe!ialL vodka The origins o& Vodka are shrouded in mystery. 1any nations and many more individuals !laim to be the birthpla!e o& the popular spirit. The t"o leading !andidates as the mother !ountry o& vodka are oland and #ussia. Ea!h !an boast a heavy asso!iation and great popularity &or the drink. .n ea!h !ountry, the eighty proo& li+uor is drunk "ith meals. .n #ussia the "ord voda, believed to be the "ord that vodka originated &rom, means "ater. Vodka is =ust as popular in oland. 2elieved to have originated &rom either oland or #ussia Esome say ersia alsoF, the birth date o& Vodka has been estimated around the beginning o& the t"el&th !entury. 1ade &or medi!al purposes, this !rude anestheti! and disin&e!tant "as distilled &rom rye. .t "as not until the middle &ourteenth !entury that vodka "as dis!overed to have into,i!ating !hara!teristi!s. Aamilies and !ommunities "ere produ!ing the drink be&ore the end o& the 1300Js &or the purpose o& drinking. .n #ussia, it "as believed that the drink !ontained its o"n spirit and it "as used at religious events. ) !up "ould be passed around, at times !ontaining more than a gallon o& vodka. Those "ho re&used to partake "ould be !onsidered impious. Arom the beginning o& the seventeenth !entury it had be!ome !ustomary &or vodka to be served at #ussian .mperial ban+uets. )ll meals "ere begun "ith bread and vodka. )lthough vodka began as rye'based li+uor, as it be!ame more popular to the masses, the potato be!ame the ingredient o& !hoi!e. The potato "as mu!h more !ommon, and although the vodka did not taste as "ell, mu!h easier to distill &rom than other grains. )s vodka made the s"it!h &rom a &amily made li+uor to one that "as produ!ed on a grand s!ale by large distilleries, the potato "as dis!arded and grain "as embra!ed. Today most brands o& vodka are distilled &rom rye, "heat, barley, and most !ommonly !orn. Vodka is distilled at very high proo&s and then &iltered through vegetable !har!oal. The higher the proo&, the less the &lavor and !learer the !olor. )lthough vodka had been a hit over in #ussia and Eastern Europe &or hundreds o& years, it did not be!ome popular in the Nnited (tates until the 1;30Js "hen the (mirno&& 0ompany opened &or business. They introdu!ed gold vodka* vodka that is aged &or ten years in oak !asks be&ore itJs sold on the market. Vodka is de&initely the most popular distilled spirit in the "orld. Vodka !an be made &rom a "ide range o& ra" materials, and no"aday is produ!ed in many !ountries all over the "orld* its popularity !omes &rom its uni+ue, !lassy taste that !an be appre!iated "hen it is tasted alone, but also &rom its mi,ability, that makes vodka the main ingredients &or a "ide range o& !o!ktails. Dimitri Lezinska 28 Shottsford, 100 Talbot Road Notting Hill London W2 L! +447971193330

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Vodka is o&ten des!ribed as an odorless, !olorless and &lavorless al!ohol, "hi!h in a "ay, is not that &ar &rom the truth. .t is a !lear spirit o& high purity and the di&&eren!e in taste !an seem really subtle &or those "ho are not &amiliar "ith high +uality vodkas. <o"ever vodka drinkers !an distinguish even the smallest di&&eren!es.

The history of vodka Vodka originated in Eastern Europe in the 1iddle )ge@ both #ussia and oland !laim to be the birthpla!e o& this an!ient spirits, but its pre!ise origins are still un!ertain, even i& "e kno" that this kind o& spirits originated among (lavi! people "ho inhabited the North' East o& Europe, "here the e,treme !old temperatures o& "inter inhibited the shipment o& "ines and beers, as these relatively lo"' proo& beverages !ould &ree%e during transit. .n an!ient times strong drink "as made by &ermenting strong "ines, meads, and beers, &ree%ing them, and then dra"ing o&& the al!oholi! slush &rom the &ro%en "ater. Then bet"een the 12th and 13th !entury these populations dis!overed distillations. The earliest distilled spirit in Eastern Europe, kno"n as :perevara:, "as made o& mead Ehoney "ineF or beer. Vodka Ea "ord originated &rom :voda:, meaning "ater both in several slavi! languagesF "as originally used to des!ribe grain distillates. These "ere used mainly &or medi!inal purposes. Then, in the &ollo"ing !enturies, Vodka be!ame the term &or beverage spirit, regardless o& its origin. .t "as not until the middle &ourteenth !entury that vodka "as dis!overed as a drink. Aamilies and !ommunities started to produ!e it be&ore the end o& the 1300Js &or the purpose o& drinking. .n #ussia vodka "as used at religious events, as it "as believed to !ontain its o"n :spirit:. ) !up "ould be passed around@ those "ho re&used to partake "ould be !onsidered impious. Arom the beginning o& the seventeenth !entury it had be!ome !ustomary &or vodka to be served at #ussian .mperial ban+uets and all important meals in oland "ere begun "ith bread and vodka. <o"ever vodka be!ame also popular to the masses, there&ore the potato, !heaper than rye or grain, be!ame the ingredient o& !hoi!e. Not only the potato "as mu!h more !ommon, it "as also easier to distill &rom than other ingredients. 7ater vodka !ame to be produ!ed on a grand s!ale by large distilleries, and the potato "as dis!arded@ in #ussia grain be!ame the main ingredients, "hile polish distillers pre&ered rye. Today most brands o& vodka are distilled &rom rye, "heat, barley, and most !ommonly !orn. Vodka is distilled at very high proo&s and then &iltered through vegetable !har!oal. The higher the proo&, the less the &lavor and !learer the !olor. 0heap, poular vodka !an be obtained &rom molasses. Vodka "as also popular among (!andinavian people, espe!ially in ("eden an Ainland, and in 2alti! regions@ in these areas vodka "as mainly made &rom "heat mash. )lthough vodka "as !onsidered a !ommon drink in Eastern and Northern Europe &or hundreds o& years, it did not be!ome popular in the rest o& the "orld until re!ently. .t rea!hed Nnited (tates in the 1;30Js thanks to the &amous (mirno&& 0ompany "ho imported a vodka that is aged &or ten years. Today vodka !ommands 209 o& the market in the Nnited (tates, and ameri!an distillers produ!e their o"n brands o& premium vodka@ N() is the se!ond ma=or produ!er o& this spirit a&ter #ussia. (in!e Vodka tends to be a neutral spirit, it lends itsel& to blending "ith &lavors and &orti&ying other beverages. .n the 1;th !entury, high' proo& :#ussian spirit: "as held in high esteem by (herry produ!ers in (pain, "ho Dimitri Lezinska 28 Shottsford, 100 Talbot Road Notting Hill London W2 L! +447971193330

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imported it to &orti&y their "ines. Neutral spirits are still used to &orti&y ort, (herry, and other types o& &orti&ied "ines, although the sour!e o& al!ohol &or su!h purposes these days tends to be the vast :"ine lake: that has been !reated by European Nnion agri!ultural pra!ti!es. (ase )ngredients Bater is still the main ingredient in vodka Ea&ter all its name !omes &rom :"ater:, see aboveF@ at the beginning people used to produ!e vodkas "ith "ater taken &rom river and lakes Eand some produ!ers, like (toli!hnaya, still doF "hile no" distillers use their o"n pits* a s!andinavian produ!er E.!ebergF use harvested i!eberg "ater. Nntil the end o& the 1/th !entury, vodka "as mainly produ!ed &rom rye Esometimes "ith nettle or broad beans addedF, "heat, barley and oats. These "ere relatively !heap ingredients. )s &arming te!hni+ues advan!ed in the Best, this !ultivation be!ame more and more e,pensive in Eastern !ountries "hile prote!tionist poli!ies o& the "estern !ountries hampered e,port@ &rom 1/th !entury on distillation &rom potatoes developed in oland, "here this vegetable are still used today. .n the 1/20>s polish distillers be!ame using sugar as a main ingredients and later plums. .& the range o& base ingredients &or making pure vodkas are limited, the list o& substan!es used to produ!e &lavoured vodkas is very long. The roots, shoots, leaves, &lo"ers, &ruits and seeds o& many grasses, herbs, shrubs and trees, both native and imported &rom &ar lands, are used to make vodka all over the "orld. 'aking Vodka ' *er entation The &irst step in making vodka is the &ermentation o& the base ingredients into a pot. The !hoi!e o& pot has a &undamental e&&e!t on the &inal result@ shape and material o& the pot should be !hosen !are&ully. ' +istillation The ne,t step is to distill the "ash obtained &rom &ermentation to produ!e a high'proo& spirit. the result o& distillation is a high'al!ohol mi,ture, still not per&e!tly pure. ' Rectification #e!ti&i!ation is the pro!ess o& removing undesirable !omponents su!h as methanol &rom this distillate. This !an be done "ith a simple pot still by dis!arding the &irst and last parts o& the distillate produ!ed* a modern !ontinuous still !an do this more e&&i!iently. <igher purity and al!ohol !ontent !an be obtained by multiple distillations* many vodkas are triple distilled, some even more. ' *iltration and %urification The distillate is then &iltered, usually through !har!oal. 6ther materials, su!h as river sand, have been used in the past, but !har!oal is superior. (ometimes !oagulants are used to bind impurities so that they !an be &iltered out more readily. (mirno&&, &or e,emple, proudly pro!laims that ea!h drop o& their vodka passes through seven tons o& !har!oal. ' +ilution and bottling The spirit a&ter puri&i!ation is at a very high proo&, o&ten 1;0 proo& or so E;-9 al!oholF. This is diluted, usually to about /0 proo& E409 al!oholF &or bottling. 6bviously, the "ater that is used &or this dilution must also be properly puri&ied. $istilled "ater !an be used, but it is !heaper to deioni%e and &ilter the "ater. This is also !onsidered to produ!e a better &lavoured vodka. ' *lavouring 1ost vodka "ill be sold as plain vodka. 6ther vodka, ho"ever, is &lavoured. There are many traditional olish and #ussian &lavoured vodkas, and in re!ent years, many Dimitri Lezinska 28 Shottsford, 100 Talbot Road Notting Hill London W2 L! +447971193330

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Bestern produ!ers have released many &lavoured vodkas, typi!ally &lavoured "ith !itrus, pepper, or &ruits. 1ost vodka is unaged. ) &e" varieties are aged in "ooden barrels. Eastern Europe is the homeland o& Vodka produ!tion. <o"ever, even i& eastern european vodkas still dominate the market, today most !ountries produ!e their o"n Vodkas, and most also have lo!al &lavored spe!ialties. ' #ussia, Nkraine and 2elarus produ!e the &ull range o& Vodka types, and are generally a!kno"ledged to be the leaders in Vodka produ!tion. 6nly the better brands, all o& "hi!h are distilled &rom rye and "heat, are e,ported to the Best* ' oland produ!es and e,ports both grain' and potato'based Vodkas. 1ost o& the high' +uality brands are produ!ed in pot stills* ' Ainland, along "ith the 2alti! (tates o& Estonia, 7atvia, and 7ithuania, produ!e primarily grain'based Vodkas, mostly &rom "heat* ' ("eden has, in re!ent de!ades, developed a substantial e,port market &or its straight and &lavored "heat'based Vodkas* ' Bestern Europe has lo!al brands o& Vodka "herever there are distilleries. The base &or these Vodkas !an vary &rom grains in northern !ountries su!h as the Nnited 4ingdom, <olland, and Germany, to grapes and other &ruits in the "inemaking regions o& Aran!e and .taly* ' The Nnited (tates and 0anada produ!e non&lavored Vodkas, both &rom various grains Ein!luding !ornF and &rom molasses. )meri!an Vodkas are, by la", neutral spirits, so the distin!tion bet"een brands is more a matter o& pri!e and per!eption than taste* ' The 0aribbean produ!es a surprising amount o& Vodka, all o& it &rom molasses. 1ost o& it is e,ported &or blending and bottling in other !ountries* ' )ustralia produ!es molasses'based Vodkas, but &e" are e,ported* ' )sia has a smattering o& lo!al Vodkas, "ith the best !oming &rom 5apan* +rinking %ure vodka

#ussians &irmly believe that Vodka "as !reated in their land. 0ommer!ial produ!tion "as established by the 14th !entury. Vodka produ!tion be!ame an integral part o& #ussian so!iety. )risto!rati! lando"ners operated stills on their estates and produ!ed high'+uality Vodkas. The 0%ars maintained test distilleries at their !ountry pala!es "here the &irst e,periments in multiple redistillations "ere made. #ussians usually "ash vodka do"n "ith a sip o& 0o!a'0ola, (prite, =ui!e and most o&ten, beer. Traditionally the usual drinking party involves a lot o& eating bet"een shooters o& vodka, in order to eliminate the undesired e&&e!ts o& drinking. This !ustom is !alled a :%akuvski:. Oakuvski !omes in a large variety o& !hoi!es@ !aviar on blinis, smoked &ish, bla!k bread. )s simple as the idea o& drinking vodka may seem, there are a &e" things one must kno" &or proper vodka eti+uette. 7et us &urther e,plore the methodology o& vodka drinking@ ' Bhen you are done "ith the &irst bottle, it should al"ays be pla!ed either beside the leg o& the table or on the &loor* ' $rink "hat is served to you in one gulp. Nobody measures the +uantity o& al!ohol poured, this is le&t to the dis!retion o& the pourer* ' Never sip or mi, vodka. 1i,ing is per!eived as a "estern "ay o& doing things sin!e orange =ui!e is o&ten more e,pensive than the vodka itsel&* ' )l"ays buy ba!k a round o& drinks to everybody that treats you. )lthough this step Dimitri Lezinska 28 Shottsford, 100 Talbot Road Notting Hill London W2 L! +447971193330

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might seem like a di&&i!ult one "hen your senses are altered a&ter a &e" too many intakes o& #ussia>s little "ater, this is e,pe!ted. Aailing to &ollo" this !ourtesy might land you a &irst !lass spot on the vodka bla!k list* ' 0ommon pra!ti!e "hen drinking as part o& a group is to syn!hroni%e your drinking* everybody drinks at the same time. .t is !onsidered an o&&ense to drink be&ore somebody makes a toast. Vodka is still very popular in #ussia, and it is part o& this !ountry>s !ulture, but re!ently #ussians seems to pre&ere beerH

Dimitri Lezinska 28 Shottsford, 100 Talbot Road Notting Hill London W2 L! +447971193330

Dimi@greygoosevodka.com