THE HISTORY OF VODKA.
The Slavic peoples of the northern hemisphere and their Scandinavian neighbors, historically speaking, were highly serious about their alcoholic beverage consumption. The distribution of wines and beers was hampered by the very cold temperatures of winter, since low-proof liquids such as these may freeze during transportation. The wine was traditionally used to make powerful drinks until distillation was introduced into Eastern Europe in the 1400s.
the making of meads and beers, freezing them, and then pulling out the alcohol-laced slush from the frozen alcoholic liquid
When perevara (honey wine) or beer were used to make the first distilled spirits in Eastern Europe, they were known as “perevara.” To designate grain distillates that included water, the name vodka (derived from the Russian word voda, meaning “water”) was first employed.
They were used for therapeutic reasons. The advancement of distillation processes led to the widespread acceptance of vodka (wodka in Polish) as the universally recognized name for drinking spirit, regardless of where it was distilled.
VODKA IS AVAILABLE IN RUSSIA.
The Russians are staunch believers that vodka was invented in their country. By the fourteenth century, commercial production had begun to take hold throughout Europe. It was Czar Ivan the Terrible who created the world’s first government-controlled vodka monopoly in 1540.
Only the nobles had distilling permits, and all other distilleries were shut down, resulting in a widespread practice known as moonshine production.
The manufacture of vodka has become an intrinsic component of Russian culture. Landowners ran stills on their properties, producing high-quality vodkas that were flavored with anything from acorns to horseradish to mint, among other ingredients.
The czars had test distilleries at their rural residences…. In 1780, a scientist working at one of these distilleries came up with the idea of using charcoal filtering to cleanse vodka.
The Russian vodka industry was believed to be highly sophisticated by the eighteenth century and into the nineteenth century. New stills and production processes from Western Europe were quickly imported and put to use in the United States. Government support for and control over vodka research has been maintained.
According to a 1902 regulation, “Moscow vodka,” a clear 40 percent ABV rye vodka with no additional flavorings and soft “living” (undistilled) water, was set as the standard for Russian vodka and became the industry standard.
The Soviet Union maintained strict government control over vodka manufacturing and distribution. Almost all distilleries were nationalized, and although Communist Party apparatchiks continued to drink high-quality rye vodka, the proletarian masses were forced to make do with lower-quality rum.
The manufacturing of vodka in the present Russian Federation has reverted to the pattern that existed before to the Revolution. High-quality brands are once again being manufactured for the new social elite and for export, but low-cost brands, such as voda, are still being consumed, as is the case with many other low-cost brands.
POLAND VODKA HISTORY
Even while the oldest recorded records of vodka manufacture in Poland date back to the 14th century, some Polish historians assert that it was being made in the region surrounding the southern city of Krakow at least a century earlier.
Although originally referred to as okowita (which comes from the Latin aqua viva, which means “life water”), it was utilized for a number of uses other than drinking. Aftershave lotion was described as “vodka for cleansing the chin after shaving” in a 1534 medical textbook. As liniments for the aches and pains of life, herbal-infused vodkas were especially popular….
King Jan Olbracht allowed every adult citizen the right to distill and trade in spirits in 1546, marking the beginning of the modern era of distillation. Taking cues from their Russian counterparts, the Polish nobility quickly fought to have this privilege taken away and replaced with a royal edict that reserved the right to manufacture vodka exclusively for themselves and their descendants.
It wasn’t until the seventeenth century that commercial vodka distilleries were founded.
The development of a robust export economy in Poland by the mid-nineteenth century resulted in Polish vodkas, especially those infused with modest volumes of fruit spirit, being carried across northern Europe and even to Russia.
The vodka distilleries were quickly reverted to private control after the collapse of Communism in the late 1980s. High-quality Polish vodkas are now exported all over the globe.
SWEDEN VODKA HISTORY.
Vodka manufacture in Sweden, which goes back to the fourteenth century, has its beginnings in the local gunpowder business, where the high-proof spirit (originally known as brännvin) was employed as a component of black powder for muskets.
Vodka production in Sweden is a relatively new phenomenon. Gunpowder manufacturers were given first preference over drink customers when distilleries were granted licenses to create beverage alcohol (mainly spice-flavored aquavit, but also vodka) in the 18th century.
Home distillation has been a part of Swedish culture for a long time. In 1830, in a nation with a population of less than three million people, there were more than 175,000 legally registered stills.
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This custom, although in a very decreased and unlawful form, has survived to the present day.
Swedish vodka is manufactured by the state-owned company Vin & Sprit, which has monopoly rights.
VODKA AND THE SYSTEM OF CLASSES
The peculiar fact that mass-produced vodka was marketed in liter bottles with a non-screw top may be used to summarize the cultural attitude toward cheap spirits intended for the proletariat in the nineteenth century. It was impossible to reseal the bottle after it had been opened. Each glass of wine has to be consumed in one sitting.
THE HISTORY OF VODKA IN THE UNITED STATES,
The first considerable volumes of vodka were introduced into the United States at the start of the twentieth century. Its target audience consisted mostly of immigrants from Eastern Europe.
Following the lifting of National Prohibition in 1933, the Heublein Company purchased the rights to the Smirnoff brand of vodka from its White Russian émigré owners and re-introduced vodka into the United States market as the Heublein Company.
Sales were stagnant until a forward-thinking booze salesperson in South Carolina came up with the slogan “Smirnoff White Whisky—No Taste.
No Smell.” Sales soared, and American vodka, which had been dormant throughout World War II, was on its way to becoming a commercial triumph. The Moscow mule, a mix of vodka and ginger ale, was the first widely recognized vodka-based drink to gain popularity.
In addition to the beer, it was promoted with an exclusive copper mug, specimens of which may still be seen on the back shelves of liquor cabinets across the United States today.
Because of its adaptability as a mixer and some very brilliant advertising efforts, vodka has risen to become the dominant white spirit in the United States of America today. Perhaps the most well-known of them was the classic double entendre tagline: “Smirnoff—It takes your breath away.”
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The bulk of American craft distillers are vodka manufacturers, according to the distillers’ association.
Their operations may be classified into two categories: those who obtain neutral grain spirit (NGS) from a third-party supplier and then correct it at their own plant, and those that produce and distill their own wash to manufacture vodka.
Because it is difficult to generate a high-proof neutral grain spirit without the use of a column still, this is a severe barrier for craft distillers who employ pot stills to manufacture neutral grain spirits.
Tito’s Handmade Vodka, produced by the distillery of the same name in Austin, Texas, is the most well-known and best-selling craft-distilled vodka on the market.
THE FOUNDATION OF VODKA
“I’ll have a vodka martini, please.” Polish, not Russian, is the language of instruction. “Shaken, not stirred,” as the saying goes.
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To make VODKA, a pale grain or vegetal matter mash is fermented and then distilled to extract the simple sugars. The pale grain or vegetal matter used in the mash maybe potatoes, molasses, beets, or a number of other plants.
A rye mash is a traditional grain for vodka production, and the majority of the greatest Russian and Polish brands are created only from rye. Wheat mashes are preferred by distillers in Sweden and the Baltic states, but wheat is also used in other parts of Europe.
Potatoes are despised by Russian distillers, but they are highly regarded by certain of their Polish counterparts who include them in their recipes. Molasses is extensively utilized in the production of low-cost, mass-produced vodkas such as Absolut Vodka. American distillers make use of the whole spectrum of basic ingredients.
VODKA DISTILLATION TECHNIQUE
The process of distilling vodka is discussed in detail in the opening chapter of this book.. (See page 24 for further information.) The choice between pot stills and column stills, on the other hand, has a significant impact on the final character of the vodka. All vodka is produced by distilling grain into a clear, colorless liquid.
Pot-distilled vodka, on the other hand, will include some of the delicate aromatics, congeners, and taste constituents of the crop from which it was distilled (as opposed to the distillation method used for cognac and Scotch whisky).
Given the inefficiency of pot stills, it is common practice to re-distill (rectify) the resultant spirit after the initial distillation in order to raise the proof of the spirit. Vodka from a more efficient column is nevertheless often a bland, flavorless liquor with no distinguishing characteristics.
With the exception of a few small instances, vodka is not matured in oak barrels or for an extended amount of time in any other way. Although it cannot be flavored or colored, it may be flavored or colored with a wide range of fruits, herbs, and spices.
VODKA CLASSIFICATIONS & TYPES
There is no standard categorization system for vodka. In Poland, vodkas are classified into three categories based on their purity: standard (zwykly), premium (wyborowy), and deluxe (zwykly) (luksusowy). Osobaya (special) vodka is often considered to be of better quality and hence suitable for export, but krepkaya (strong) vodka is defined as having minimum alcohol by volume (ABV) of at least 56 percent.
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According to U.S. government regulations, domestic vodkas must be “neutral spirits, so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be devoid of unique character, fragrance, taste, or color,” and must also be “free of distinctive flavor, aroma, or color.”
Because American vodka is required by law to be tasteless, the differences between brands are only extremely slight. Many drinkers believe that the only genuine way to distinguish between them is by the amount of alcohol they consume and the price they pay.
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VODKA DISTRIBUTION AREAS
EUROPE’S EASTERN PART
In this region, vodka is produced in large quantities. Every nation makes vodka, and the majority of them also manufacture flavored delicacies that are unique to their region.
Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus are the only countries that manufacture the whole spectrum of vodka varieties, and they are widely regarded as the world’s leaders in vodka production. Exported to the West are only the best-quality brands, which are all made from rye and wheat and are all distilled.
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Because vodka is a neutral spirit, it may be used to enhance the taste of other drinks while also reinforcing them.
Russian spirit of high proof was highly regarded by sherry producers in Spain in the nineteenth century, who used it to enhance their wines after importing it from the country. neutral spirits are still used to fortify port, sherry, and other forms of fortified wines, however much of the alcohol used in these preparations these days comes from the large “wine lake” that has been formed by agricultural methods in the European Union.
Flavored vodkas were initially created to conceal the taste of the earliest crude vodkas, but they were eventually recognized as a sign of a distiller’s competence when they became popular. Russians and Poles, in particular, continue to promote a plethora of different tastes. Some of the most well-known varieties are as follows: