Vodka Flashcards
What raw material is needed to make beer? What about wine? Mead?
Beer: grain
Wine: grapes
Mead: honey
Who invented distillation? What apparatus did they use?
Jabir ibn Hayyn ~800AD, invented the pot alembic (forerunner to the still).
How does distillation work (generally)?
Heat up alcohol/water mixture until alcohol vapour is released (~70 C), then condense this vapour on a cool surface and collect.
What 4 general reasons are there to distil?
- Alcohol is a solvent (perfume/medicinal applications)
- Stabilizes low alcohol products (ex: sherry, port, etc)
- Overcome % limits on yeast fermentation
- Produces unique beverages
What is another way to extract alcohol from a solution without distillation?
Freeze something containing alcohol and at a certain temperature pour off the remaining liquid is alcohol (freezes last).
What was distillation used to produce in Italy when the technology moved there from the Middle East.
Used to produce grappa (brandy) from distilled wine.
How did the Dutch revolutionize distillation?
Developed industrial scale distillation to supply all of Europe with brandy (France supplied but on a fraction of the scale).
How did cabarets come into being?
As a kind of tavern for spirits.
What did the Russians originally drink prior to vodka?
Mead or “kvass” (beer made from rye crusts).
How long has vodka been around?
> 500 years (500th anniversary was in 2002).
In Tsarist Russia, how was production of vodka controlled?
It was awarded by rank, where the more powerful you were the more vodka you were allowed to produce. The middle class and peasants were banned from production.
Why did vodka production/consumption expand in Russia in the late 19th century?
Serfdom abolished, people moved into cities, industrialization.
What percentage of the Russian GDP was from vodka sales in 1914? Why was this not representative?
Vodka made up 25% of the GDP, but apparently half of the vodka sales were black market so the actual profits from vodka are double this!
What cultural factor contributes to Russia’s alcohol problem?
Ritually enforced binge-drinking with every holiday.
How is Russia trying to solve its drinking problem? Why is Putin so against vodka?
By state-supported “vodka snitches” who call the cops on illegal activities. He’s a teetotaler, but maybe he just wants the country to get back on track.
