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Shaken, Not Stirred: Vodka

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A Brief History of Vodka

Many drink historians place the origins of vodka anywhere from the 700s to the 1400s. However, most agree that it began somewhere in the “vodka belt.” The vodka belt is located in Eastern, Central, and Northern Europe and includes countries such as Russia, Poland, and Ukraine.

Poland wins for finding the word “wódka” in court documents in the 1400s, but that word meant it was for medicines. Poland used the word “gorzeć” when vodka was for drinking. In 1534, a Polish pharmacist named Stefan Falimirz published O Ziolach / O Mocy Ich (“On Herbs and Their Potency”), which is believed to be one of the first documents containing the word “vodka.” This luxurious illustrated book gave details for the preparation of over seventy vodka-based medicines.

Every country in the vodka belt had their own words for vodka and they translate into phrases such as “little water,” “burnt water,” “to burn,” “ardent water,” and “the water of life.”

In 1789, Johann Tobias Lowitz developed charcoal filtration for vodka.

Before this, vodka tended to be infused with various fruits and herbs, so yes, it was flavored. Today, vodka is the number-one best-selling spirit in the world.

The Top Ten Things to Know About Vodka

1.Vodka can be made from any carbohydrate that is fermentable, not just potatoes.

2.Vodka can be made in any country of the world.

3.No one really knows who invented vodka. Most think it was Russia, but Poland seems to have more historical evidence.

4.The word “vodka” translates into “water.”

5.Wolfschmidt was the first vodka introduced to America in the late 1800s.

6.The Moscow Mule was the first Smirnoff vodka cocktail marketed to America in the 1940s.

7.Vodka Martinis became extremely popular in America when the first James Bond film, Dr. No, was released in 1962.

8.While flavored commercial vodkas in the 1950s–1960s such as lime, grape, mint, and chocolate had some success, it wasn’t until the 1980s when flavored vodkas rose to international success with the introduction of Absolut Peppar in 1984 and Absolut Citron in 1988.

9.If American vodka is made from sugarcane, then it must be distilled more than 95 percent abv (alcohol by volume) to be considered a neutral spirit and not rum.

10.Besides drinking, vodka can be used as a cleaning agent.

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Types of Vodka

There are two categories of vodka: flavored and plain. The plain category can be further categorized by what carbohydrate was used to make the vodka such as corn, wheat, potatoes, etc. The flavored category consists of plain vodka that has been flavored or infused with natural or artificial flavors.

Today, vodka companies like to brag about their water source, how many times their vodka has been distilled, or how many times it has been filtered.

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Popular Vodka Brands

Absolut

Produced in Ahus, Sweden, with Swedish water and winter wheat. Absolut introduced the first flavored vodka to America Absolut Peppar) in 1986. In 1988, they introduced Absolut Citron, which lead to the resurrection of the Cosmopolitan. Absolut has also been a prolific leader in the art and advertising world.

Crystal Head

Produced in Newfoundland, Canada, with Canadian water and peaches-and-cream corn. It’s distilled four times and filtered three times through diamond crystals. The bottle is shaped like a crystal skull head, but the drink is most known for being the brainchild of actor Dan Aykroyd.

Grey Goose

Produced in France with soft French winter wheat from Picardy, then shipped to Cognac to be mixed with spring water. Marketing master Sidney Frank created Grey Goose. Frank wanted to introduce the first luxury/super-premium vodka to America. It debuted in 1997.

Hangar One

Produced in Alameda, California, with grains from the America Midwest and California-grown Viognier grapes. It is produced in an upcycled Navy aircraft hangar and distilled four times.

Reyka

Produced in Iceland with glacial Icelandic lava water, barley, and wheat in an eco-friendly distillery. They say that Iceland has the best water in the world.