Vodka – the Water of Life
The History of Vodka – the Water of Life is as cloudy as the liquor itself was back in the 1400 when it was first written mentioned. Although some people think that it has its roots even further back, to the point were Humans were freezing wine to extract the higher alcohol content. But because that are rumours, we will go back to our 1400 were it actually was Poland to call the Liquor “woda” which means Water.
It was around 1430 when a monk called Isidore, a master distiller, created Russians first Vodka, called “bread wine” at that time. The Liquor was half the strength or up to 40% ABV, but never higher, compared to today and cloudy. It even tasted different because the lack of filtration. The use was actually medical purpose and often mixed with Herbs therefore also called “Zhiznennia Vodka” – the Water of Life. Russia and Poland were the biggest Vodka producers due to the high availability of Grains such as Wheat or Rye.
In Russia selling Vodka was only allowed in Taverns that got the permission of the Zar. That solution was not optimal so they loosend it but put a tax on the production. It was Katharina II who restricted it again and only Companies owned by the Government and Noble were allowed to produce it.
The Big Change of Vodka
It was 1780 when Theodore Lowitz, the Zars Alchemist, used a Charcoal filtration to produce a liquor that is closer to our Vodka than the spirit was before, which in fact reminded a little of un-aged whiskey. The filtration made Vodka a lot smoother and mild, getting rid of the Fuse-Oils resulting the Liquor becoming clear. This method quickly became the staple for Vodka production.
The Water of Life was Produced in several countries, such as Poland, Russia, Sweden, Finland and even in parts of northern Germany. For many other countries the spirit was a rarity and consumed by nobles.
1933 the middle eastern phenomenon of the Little Water started making its way around the world.
Rudolf Kunett bought the rights to produce the popular Smirnoff Vodka from Vladimir Smirnoff and started to promote it in America. His mission didn’t go so well and he sold the Brand to the Bartender Gilbert Martin. Things really started rolling with the cocktail boom in 1950 and Gilbert used that to grow the Brand. He also is the creator of the popular Moscow Mule.
From the 60s to the mid 90s Vodka was the most sold Liquor in the world. This is also a result of clever Hollywood marketing. James Bonds Vesper or the Movie Cocktail played big roles.
The clear and neutral tasting liquor is nowadays ingredient in many classic and modern cocktails
Production
Enough from History, lets talk about the Production. Vodka, most of the time is produced from crops such as Grain and Potatoes, basically you can use everything that contains Sugar and Starch as long it undergoes filtration after distillation.
90% of the Worlds Vodkas are produced from Grain such as Wheat and Rye. After distillation and filtration the water of life can be Bottled straight away and doesn’t need ageing.
Vodka is divided between Grain and Potato Vodkas as well as east European and western World Vodkas.
Also Flavoured Vodkas in many different flavours such as Vanilla, Citrus and Raspberry are available today.
Many Brands Promote vodka with the times distilled, which is actually no quality proof.
Every company has their own way of distillation and filtration which brings Diversity to the water of life. Some companies even took it to the next level and produced a “Single Estate” Vodka, but that’s for next time.
Next Time we are going to talk about a couple different Vodka brands and what makes them special.
For now:
Please stay Safe and Mix Well
Yours Chris
