Vodka

Question 1

Vodka

Answer 1

Vodka may be distilled from any starch- or sugar - rich plant matter; most vodka today is
produced from grains such as sorghum, corn, rye or wheat. Among grain vodkas, rye
and wheat vodkas are generally considered superior. Russia and Poland both claim to
have invented vodka.

Question 2

How is vodka served

Answer 2

Vodka is traditionally drunk neat (not mixed with any water, ice, or other mixers), though
it is often served chilled in the vodka belt countries (Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Iceland,
Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine).

Question 3

What is the minimum ABV for European vodka

Answer 3

37.5%abv

Question 4

ABV of vodka in united States

Answer 4

vodka in the United States must have a minimum alcohol content
of 40%.

Question 5

Where does the name vodka come from

Answer 5

The name “vodka” is a diminutive form of the Slavic word voda (water),
interpreted as dear little water. Russia and Poland claims to have
invented vodka.

Question 6

Steps in Making vodka

Answer 6

Preparation of base mixture
Fermentation
Straining of the mixture
Distillation
Collection and sorting
Filteration
Dilution 
Bottling

Question 7

1st step in making vodka

Answer 7

PREPARATION OF BASE MIXTURE - Grains like wheat malt, flaked maize, or
rye are mixed with water and yeast. The mixture is then heated and
stirred (sometimes called “vodka mash”) to make sure it’s well
combined and ready to ferment.

Question 8

2nd step in making vodka

Answer 8

FERMENTATION – The base mixture is stored for a specified amount of
time, between one and two weeks to fully ferment the mixture. This
fermentation step is when the compounds begin to break down and
produce simple, natural alcohol called ethanol or ethyl alcohol.

Question 9

3rd step in making vodka

Answer 9

STRAINING OF THE MIXTURE - Once the fermentation is complete, the
liquid is strained off from the fermented solids. The solids are discarded
and the liquid (ethanol) is used to make vodka.

Question 10

4th step for making vodka

Answer 10

DISTILLATION - Vodka makers all take different approaches to
distillation, some may distill only once or twice, while others may require
distillation and redistillation many times for a more pure result. For
flavored vodka, they may also choose to add botanicals during
distillation—some steep their botanicals in ethanol before or between
distilling, while others add botanicals during distilling with a special still

Question 11

5th step in making vodka

Answer 11

COLLECTION & SORTING - The first 35% of a distillation results in an ethanol
product that contains methanol or acetone and can be highly volatile
or toxic—containers of this liquid are called the “foreshots” and the
“heads,” and are usually discarded. The following 30% contains the
“hearts,” which are the best product. The final 35% are the “tails,” which
are impure but can be kept and redistilled for some more product.

Question 12

6th step in making vodka

Answer 12

FILTRATION - Since traditional vodkas are flavorless and smooth, an
extra step is added to their production line - Filtration. Once the hearts
of the distillate have been identified, it is passed through a large
filtration system (usually with charcoal or carbon) to ensure that the
final product has a great, clean mouthfeel.

Question 13

7th step for making vodka

Answer 13

DILUTION – The distilled product is diluted to the desired alcohol
content by testing the alcohol by volume (ABV) and by gradually
adding water.

Question 14

Explain the 8th and last step in making vodka

Answer 14

BOTTLING - The final step is the bottling process, in which vodka makers
add the final product to labeled bottles.