Vodka

Countries where vodka has traditionally been taken, from east to west: Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Russia (“Cinturon of vodka”)

Vodka Museum in Upper Mandrogui, Podporozhsky District, Leningrad Opblast, Russia.

The vodka (водка in Russian, vodka in Slovak, Czech, and горілка in Ukrainian) is a distilled beverage. The origin of it is disputed although the current name is Russian. It is generally produced through the fermentation of grains and other starchy plants, such as rye, wheat, potato or beetroot. Normally the alcohol content of vodka is between 37% and 50% volume; classic Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Russian and Polish vodka contain forty proofs of alcohol.

Etymology

The name vodka is a diminutive of the Slavic word voda (water), which would therefore mean little water. It breaks down into the root vód- [water] + -k- (diminutive suffix) + -a (suffix indicating feminine gender). However, although in Spanish the ending -a also generally corresponds to feminine nouns, unlike in Slavic languages, vodka is mainly used with gender. masculine.

The first recorded record of the word vodka dates from the Akta Grodzkie of 1405, the documents of the Palatinate court of Sandomierz in Poland. At that time, the word wódka referred to medicines and cosmetics, while the drink was called gorzałka (from Old Polish gorzeć, “to burn”), in turn the origin of the Ukrainian horilka (горілка). The word vodka written in Cyrillic first appeared in 1533, referring to a medicinal drink imported from Poland to Muscovy by Muscovy merchants.

In eastern countries, "vodka" is used to designate any high-grade drink. In this regard, it must be taken into account, as is often the case with foreign words used outside the context of that foreign language, that "vodka" means a different reality in Eastern countries and in Spanish, English or Spanish-speaking countries. French.

Consumption

Several bottles of vodka in a shop in Sanok, Poland.

Not only the compound of ethanol and water, but also many fruit liqueurs and spirits with a cereal flavor that are not called whiskey. Vodka, in the Russian context, is a generic word, like the English spirit, which is used to designate any distillate. The Russians never achieved a brandy that was attractive because of its origin substances, as the Scots did with barley —giving rise to whiskey— and the French with the brandies of Charente wine and Armagnac, the Mexicans with tequila, etc; but they got something no less interesting: a tasteless distillate composed only of alcohol and water.

The intention, apparently,^{[citation needed]} was to achieve such a high alcohol concentration that the product could not be easily frozen, because the alcohol would Freezes at temperatures lower than water. A widespread myth is that it was Mendeleev who set the standard for Russian vodka at forty proof (supposedly in his doctoral thesis A Discourse on the Combination of Alcohol and Water, it was mentioned that the proportion was the least harmful to human health). However, one of the inscriptions on a stand at the "Vodka Museum" in Saint Petersburg says that Mendeleyev considered the ideal strength of vodka to be around 38%, but this number is rounded to 40 to simplify the calculation of alcohol tax. Moreover, this myth is widely used for promotional purposes. For example, the tag for "Russian Standard" says the vodka is "compliant with the highest quality Russian vodka approved by the royal government commission headed by Mendeleyev in 1894.

Bottles of different brands of Russian vodka.

However, in the first place, Mendeleyev's dissertation contains no mention of experimenting with a 40% alcoholic solution. The researcher studied the highest concentrations of alcohol—70 degrees or more. On the other hand, there is no work by Mendeleyev related to alcohol dilution methods in vodka production. Second, the standard "40 degrees" he settled in Russia in 1843, when Mendeleyev was only nine years old. It was introduced by the government without the involvement of any scientists.

The customs for drinking it differ according to the place of consumption. In Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden and Ukraine, the drink is taken neat and unmixed, served in very cold glasses and often accompanied by food. In the rest of the European countries it is used mainly in cocktails, although the rise of the so-called "premium" makes it increasingly common to consume vodka straight.

Composition

Before the arrival of vodka as it is now understood —H₂O + C₂H₅ OH, that is to say, water and ethanol— it was not possible to induce flavors —of mint, juniper, etc.— in a pure and insipid alcohol. It was necessary to induce them to a brandy, to an imperfect distillation with flavors of the matter of origin. The alchemists' ideal was to completely isolate alcohol, even from water. Vodka is pure alcohol—water and alcohol—but not absolute alcohol: just alcohol without even water. Absolute alcohol is expensive to obtain and only became available well into the 20th century. The brand Absolut vodka, has 60% water, because the laws do not usually allow the retail sale of an alcoholic concentration above 40 or 43 degrees.^{[citation needed]} Nor do they usually allow pure alcohol —water and alcohol— and neutral —without denature—, if not under the name vodka.^{[citation required]} That is what is called “vodka for cocktails”.^{[citation required]} This is a simple mixture of alcohol and water. All alcoholic beverages—except vodka—are made up of alcohol, water, and something else. Sometimes the vodka bottle states the raw materials of origin; but this is irrelevant from the point of view of the composition of the vodka: water and alcohol. At best it is slightly flavored.

The origin of the commercialization of the pure and tasteless alcohol that in the West we call vodka is linked to the Stolichnaya brand and became popular at the end of the Second World War. It was initially sold as "white whiskey", and its slogan was "no taste or smell". It proved very useful for cocktails. However, as Gordon Brown notes, if vodka were sold not under that name but as "neutral spirit" it would lose all its charm. The Russian names for vodka give clues to its smooth taste or the origin of the product. Limonnaya means lemon-flavoured, Krepkaya indicates that it is strong, Moskovskaya, that it comes from Moscow, etc.

Production

Vodka is produced today all over the world, despite the fact that it remains in history as the typical Russian drink. There are many American producers, and even Japanese, like Suntory. Vodka enjoys great popularity and prestige in the Scandinavian countries, being the Swedish Absolut, the Finnish Finland and the Ukrainian Nemiroff, the prestigious brands for many vodka connoisseurs.^{[citation needed]} We must highlight the difference between Russian vodkas and the rest of the world's vodkas. Only in Russia is vodka produced from 'living water', spring water and not distilled, and the mixture is subsequently purified several times. In all other countries of the world vodka is produced from distilled water.

Originally, the production of this drink was achieved from the cheapest and most abundant local agricultural products, such as wheat, corn, potatoes, or a combination of any of these. The process consisted of a simple and rapid filtration of the ferment from these using a charcoal-based filter, instead of an expensive and lengthy distillation process. The purified liquid was then reduced, without aging, until it was made drinkable by adding distilled water and then bottled. The result of this production cycle is a colorless and odorless product with a high alcohol content.

Varieties

A bottle of vodka.

Many people tend to mix vodka with different fruit juices (mostly cranberry or orange), to give it a different flavor with a slight touch of alcohol, like flavored vodkas.

The vodka produced in Russia generally contains 40% alcohol and the one produced in Poland reaches 45º of alcohol content. In Russia there are exclusive varieties of grape vodka such as "Kizlyarka" (Matured) with a 45% alcohol content. Currently the typical graduation ranges between 37.5% and 42% in ordinary vodkas (up to 70% in some Russian specialties, the strongest has 96%), so its contribution caloric to the body for every 100 g is 315 cal. The importance of the graduation depends above all on whether it is taken alone or mixed with other liquids.

Elaboration process

• Preparation of broth: the grains are milled, turning into flour, adding water and making the mixture under pressure. During the operation the starch contained in the grains becomes a mass of gel and then in sugar that, under the effect of yeast, becomes alcohol during fermentation. The fermentation lasts about 40 hours and produces a fairly strong drink (about 90% of alcohol content) that is destilled; with this high amount of alcohol the purity of the vodka produced is guaranteed.

• Distilation: takes place in a continuous distillation system or by the "pot still" system in isolated alambiques (or a combination of both), which has 2 to 5 alambiques; the height of the alambiques (of stainless steel with copper parts) is 20-40 meters in the case of large industrial productions. Alambiques in small distilleries with the "pot still" system are much smaller in size. In the first alambique the alcohol departs from the brasa: the heated brase goes from above the alambique and is found with the hot steam current from below, the alcohol along with other vapors goes up to the top of the alambique. Brass residues -the orujo- are separated at the bottom and used to bare the cattle. With the help of the second alambique -rectifier- alcohol increases its strength by concentrating on the top of it. The number of times the drink is distilled depends to a large extent on the brand and quality. Common vodkas are distilled twice, or three at most (p.e Smirnoff). At the top level of the market there are 4 (Belvedere), 5 (Lokka and Ciroc), 6 (Alpha Noble), 8 (Russian Standard Imperia) and even 9 times (Jean Marc XO, who currently holds the record).^{[chuckles]required]}

• Filtration: then the vodka is subjected to a filtration process, the object of which is to remove any type of impurities that might persist in the liquid. The filtration varies from one distillery to another, although the most common method is the use of organic carbon filters, usually from birch or apple wood. Other methods include the use of quartz sands, precious metals or even diamonds. Sometimes vodka is cooled at very low temperatures to cause solidification of eventual waste.^{[chuckles]required]}

• Dissolution: the final drink before the mixture contains 96 % of alcohol and almost completely lacks flavors and odors other than the ethanol itself. The quality of the water is fundamental to the final result. Waters from certain glaciers, springs, lakes, etc are often used. The total volume of alcohol is usually oscillated, as mentioned above, between 37.5o and 42o for Westernized vodkas and up to 70o for some Russian distilled.

Brands and specialties

Collection of Vodka Absolut.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, spirits, especially whisky, rum and vodka, have been the most consumed worldwide and even its global consumption increased as the purchasing power of the Asian middle classes increased; in second place the beer. Vodka was the world's most consumed spirit in 2012, and is a popular ingredient in cocktails and cocktails of all kinds. The most popular and successful brands in the world are Smirnoff (of Russian origin, but currently owned by the British manufacturer Diageo), Absolut, Stolichnaya (owned by Russia and the ex-Russian company SPI in others), Moskovskaya, Russkaya, Juri Dolgoruki, Sibirskaya in Russia and Soplica (leader in Poland, second brand in Lithuania, third in France).

In the first decade of the XXI century, new vodka trends have emerged: on the one hand, the aforementioned flavoring of vodka with various flavors (citrus, various fruits, vanilla, pepper, "bissongrass", chilli pepper, etc.), on the other, the appearance of high-end vodkas and relatively high, a novum in the world of white drinks. Notable in this group are Beluga Noble Russian Vodka (Russia), Sernova (Italy), Sobieski Estate (Poland), Gray Goose (France), Khortytsa (Ukraine), Level (Sweden), Absolut Vodka (Sweden), Kizlyarka (Russia), Stolichnaya Elit (Russia), Wyborowa Single Estate (also known as Wyborowa Exquisite, from Poland), Russian Standard Platinum and Russian Standard Imperial, Kaufmann, Yuri Dolgoruki (Russia), Ciroc (France), Kettle One (Netherlands), Snow Queen (Kazakhstan), LOKKA (Turkey), Xellent (Switzerland), Diva (England), Jean Marc XO (France), Oval (Austria), Alpha Noble (France), Purity Vodka (Sweden), Blat vodka (Spain), Rosskov (Brazil), Villa Clara Vodka, Regente Vodka (Cuba), Stanislaff (Venezuela), Laguna Azul (Mexico), Zaverich Premium (Mexico), Sirena de Chiloé - Chile), Amazonian Vodka - Peru).

Cocktails