Vodka

In the early 19th century, the US likely drank more than anywhere else in the world. However, thanks largely to temperance movements, they managed to reduce whiskey consumption across society. These abstinence societies (which, for the most part, only targeted hard liquor while cider, wine, and beer were fine) eventually spread worldwide and reached as far as Russia. But as noted in the book A History of the World in 6 Glasses (or History Written in Vodka), they didn’t have it easy there: „Abstainers were hunted down by tax collectors to force them to drink; those who resisted had alcohol poured directly down their throats using funnels.“

In 1914, Tsar Nicholas II attempted to introduce prohibition in Russia. Three years later, a revolution broke out that had a global impact and cost the Tsar his life. „These events are not unconnected,“ writes English etymologist Mark Forsyth in his book A Short History of Drunkenness, adding: „There is a theory that between 1914 and 1917, the Russian population was finally sober enough to realize what their rulers were doing to them.“

We mention these two anecdotes because the origin of vodka production remains unclear. Since time immemorial, Russia and Poland have disputed it—a battle marked by the production of various forged documents and records. If we were to grant a claim of „ownership“ of vodka to anyone, it should perhaps be to a country where you either enjoy it of your own volition or where it isn’t poured down your throat, and where its shortage sparks a revolution.

Nevertheless, according to the Concise Etymological Dictionary, the term „vodka“ only became established in Slovak in the 20th century, specifically from the Polish wódka (a diminutive of water—“little water“). Both the Polish and Russian origins of the word are rooted in the Latin aqua vitae, meaning „water of life.“ This is the same linguistic root as „whiskey.“ While various legends give the birth of vodka fantastically ancient dates, let’s settle on the fact that by the beginning of the 16th century, it was certainly being consumed in Russia, Poland, and likely in our region as well.

Another popular stereotype about vodka, spread by brands like Russian Standard, relates to its strength. The creator of the periodic table, Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev, allegedly determined in 1865 that the ideal strength of vodka is a ratio of 40% distillate to 60% water. Although this is the „standard“ today, the famous scientist actually had nothing to do with it.