Today the world-famous Russian vodka is celebrating its 145
th anniversary. In the late 19
th century, the famous chemist Dmitry Mendeleyev spent a year and a half searching for the ideal volume and weight ratio of alcohol and water. He solved the problem, and published his findings in his doctoral thesis, On Combining Alcohol and Water. From this was established the national standard for vodka production. For all Mendeleev's hard work and dedication to the pursuit of the ideal alcoholic beverage, a nation is eternally grateful.
The first "bread wine" was made in the Chudov monastery in the Kremlin in the middle of the 15th century and in the early 16th century Russia was already selling the fiery drink abroad.
It wasn't until the reign of Peter the Great however, that vodka production was put on stream. In 1716 Russia's first Emperor granted concessions for vodka distillation to the nobility and rich merchants. In the mid-18th century, in the time of Empress Catherine II, alcoholic beverage production became the privilege of the aristocracy only. Most of this very high quality vodka was distilled right on the nobles' estates using milk and egg whites.
State monopoly on vodka production has been an on and off practice here in Russia. In the 16th century Czar Ivan the Terrible interdicted to purchase vodka in Moscow and ordered to build for his servants a special house, which was called in a Tatar way "kabak" (which means drinking without a snack). The first kabak opened doors in Moscow in 1533. Thanks to that, a virtually inexhaustible source of treasury enrichment was found.
State monopoly on production and sale of vodka continued throughout the Soviet years before it was abolished by President Boris Yeltsin it in 1992. This resulted in serious financial, medical and moral problems and already the following year the state monopoly was reinstated, but the government was no longer able to enforce it the way it should be.
Vodka is often seen in Russia as a national heritage and a symbol, along with the samovar, balalaika, matryoshka and caviar. Russians love vodka for the same reason that the French love wine: it is a social drink that goes extremely well with food.
There is a very sad downside to all this though and this is all about the eternal vice of alcoholism...
In 1986 Mikhail Gorbachev launched an anti-alcohol campaign. Unfortunately, this was so unpopular with the public, not to mention damaging to the state's treasury that it eventually had to be abandoned. The campaign later proved to have had a moderate amount of success in tackling Russia's extreme alcohol problem though.
As of January 1, 2010 the government, in a bid to stamp out the illegal production and sale of alcohol, jacked up the price on vodka to 89 rubles for a half-liter bottle and up, so that people can choose between legal and counterfeit vodka.
On Saturday Russia's chief narcologist, Yevgeny Bryun, demanded an end to the dangerous practice of round-the-clock sale of hard drinks, and called for stronger propaganda of a healthy lifestyle.
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