‘Tis the season for the entire campus to thrust themselves into a Buddy the Elf-like fervor: Santa Fest. As frat parties prepare to pop open festive Natty Lites and concoct a merry jingle juice, bottles of “Shitty K” will fill recycling bins across Athens. However, the ghost of the vodka inside tells quite the story, and not just the tale of a holly jolly blackout.
Vodka comes from the Russian word “voda,” which means water. Although vodka did become extremely popular in Russia, this word refers to the creation of vodka, which comes from the combination of water and ethanol distilled from a fermented substance. Initially, vodka was used for medicinal purposes rather than consumption.
Vodka was born in ninth century Russia, although Poland claims the first production of a vodka-like drink. Polish Vodka created in the eighth century used wine instead of water, creating a brandy or cognac adjacent substance.
The first vodka distillery opened in 1174 in the Russian town of Khylnovsk. Russians called vodka “hot wine,” and it came in several varieties. Standard vodka was “plain wine,” better vodka was “good wine” and the best vodka was called “boyar wine.” Vodka distilled multiple times created a stronger drink called “double wine.” Far before New Amsterdam released citrus, peach or green apple-flavored vodkas, Russian distillers flavored their creations with fruit, herbs and spices to disguise impurities.
At the end of the 15th century, the princes of Moscow – the city that had become the center of the unification of Russian princedoms – monopolized the production and sale of vodka. Leaders like Ivan IV, colloquially Ivan the Terrible, rewarded loyal elites by allowing them to own taverns. In 1649, this monopoly was officially codified in the Ulozhenie, a code of laws. This monopoly and its accompanying high prices played into the 16th century “Time of Troubles” in Russia, contributing to civil unrest.
Russian Tsars continued the monopoly, although Catherine the Great allowed certain populations to sell vodka to the state, permitting people to purchase localized vodka monopolies that were constricted to a specific area and time frame. This raised vodka revenue but often created high prices for vodka without particularly quality spirits.
When Russian serfs, the class of peasants tethered to noble land for work, were emancipated in 1861, the vodka market system soon followed. The new system taxed vodka ripe with fraud, so just 30 years after it was established, vodka production rights were changed again, creating a new state monopoly. This was done in an attempt to regulate quality and curb drunkenness by limiting production. In practice, however, vodka became the greatest source of state revenue.
By 1914, vodka production generated one-third of the state’s income. However, this aligned with the beginning of WWI, during which Tzar Nicholas II declared a prohibition on vodka. This led to the massive production of moonshine by peasants, which used scarce grain, adding to food shortages. Food riots eventually contributed to Nicholas’ abdication in 1917.
Clearly, vodka has an intertwined history with Russia that suspends beyond a drink of choice. It’s no surprise that in the 14th century, a British Ambassador to Moscow said vodka was the national drink of Russia, a declaration Poland and Finland made of their own countries in the mid-16th century. However, for most of vodka’s history, it did not venture out of Russia, Poland and the Balkans.
WWI changed vodka’s borders, as it was first introduced to western countries, including the U.S., which took over the majority of vodka production. Today, vodka is used all over due to its lack of color, definite scent or taste. This neutrality makes it a go-to choice for many cocktails and mixed drinks. In their home country, Russians typically drink vodka chilled and unmixed, served with appetizers.
As bottles of inexpensive vodka leap off the shelves of Busy Day this weekend to create various mistletoe margaritas and Santa Clausmopolitans, consider the history behind each festive drink. Vodka is quite the holiday spirit.
Katie Millard is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Tell Katie by tweeting her at @katie_millard11.
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