The Russian Riot - Vodka

Vodka, good for all occasions

Welcome back everyone to Mixers for your Mixer! Today, we step outside of the realm of rum-based mixed drinks and move ourselves into the world of Vodka. Vodka can be described as a distilled beverage that is composed of primarily of water and ethanol. Through the process of distillation, Vodka can be produced from such substances as grains, potatoes, fruits, and sugars.

The History

The name of Vodka is  diminutive form of the Slavic "Voda", which roughly translates into water. The first record of the term "Vodka" was in 1405 in Akta Grodzkie. Very few details are known as to Vodka's date of origin. Various sources put the first production of the spirit in an area in present day Russia during the 9th century; while others put the date and location during 8th century Poland. However, the first documented distillery, which can be found reported in the Vyatka Chronical of 1174, wasn't recorded  until over three hundred years later.

The Production process

Vodka may be distilled from any starch- or sugar-rich plant matter.Despite this fact, most of the vodka today is produced from such grains as sorghum, corn, rye, or wheat. Among these grain vodkas, rye and wheat are generally considered superior. Some vodkas are made from potatoes, molasses, soybeans, grapes, rice, and sugar beets. Some are even byproducts of oil refining or wood pulp processing. Even though it seems that vodka  can be made from all of these ingredients, only those spirits made from grains, potato, sugar beets, or molasses are allowed to be branded as "vodka.

During the distillation process, the master distiller is in charge of distilling the vodka and directing its filtration. During this filtration; ethyl acetate (known as "fore-shots"), ethyl lactate (known as "heads"), and the fusel oils (known as the "tails") are removed to "purify" or to produce the usual clean taste of the spirit.

Some well known brands of Vodka are:

• Smirnoff
• Absolut Vodka
• Grey Goose
• Everclear

Now that we have a basic understanding of this spirit, I look forward to bringing you interesting mixed-drink recipes involving this smooth but potent spirit. So until next time! Happy Mixing!

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