Editing Vodka (section)

==History==
[[File:VodkaBelt.png|thumb|right|The "[[Alcohol belts of Europe#Vodka belt|vodka belt]]" countries of Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe are the historic home of vodka. These countries have the highest vodka consumption in the world.]]
Scholars debate the beginnings of vodka<ref name="smith_companion">{{Cite book |author=Smith, A. F. |title=The Oxford companion to American food and drink |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007 |page=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000unse_e9i9/page/693 693] |isbn=978-0-19-530796-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000unse_e9i9/page/693 }}</ref> because there is little historical material available.<ref name=Blocker>Blocker, Jack S; Fahey, David M, and Tyrrell, Ian R (2003). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=BuzNzm-x0l8C&dq=Alcohol%20and%20temperance%20in%20modern%20history%3A%20an%20international%20encyclopedia&pg=PA636 Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia]'' Vol. 1 A – L, ABC-CLIO, pp. 389, 636 {{ISBN|1-57607-833-7}}.</ref><ref name=Ermochkin>Ermochkine, Nicholas, and Iglikowski, Peter (2003). ''40 degrees east : an anatomy of vodka'', Nova Publishers, p. 217, {{ISBN|1-59033-594-5}}.</ref> For many centuries, beverages differed significantly compared to the vodka of today, as the spirit at that time had a different flavor, color, and smell, and was originally used as medicine. It contained little alcohol, an estimated maximum of about 14%. [[Distillation]] techniques were developed in [[Roman Egypt]] by the 3rd century, but the description of ''aqua ardens'' ("burning water", i.e., alcohol) made by distilling wine with salt appears in Latin works only by the 12th century. The process was well known among European medieval chemists by about 1300.<ref name=Multhauf>{{Cite book |last=Multhauf |first=Robert P. |title=The Origins of Chemistry |publisher=Oldbourne |year=1966 |isbn=9782881245947 |location=London |author-link=Robert P. Multhauf}} pp. 204-206.<!--[[Robert Briffault|Briffault, Robert]] (1919). ''The Making of Humanity'', [https://archive.org/details/makingofhumanity00brifrich/page/194/mode/2up p. 195].--></ref>

===Poland===

The world's first written mention of the word ''wódka'' was in 1405 from ''Akta Grodzkie'' [[recorder of deeds]],<ref name="KRPS">{{cite web|url=http://krps.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=27|title=History of vodka production, at the official page of Polish Spirit Industry Association (KRPS), 2007|language=pl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930131416/http://krps.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=27 |archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref> in the court documents from the [[Sandomierz Voivodeship|Palatinate of Sandomierz]] in Poland.<ref name="KRPS" /> At the time, the word ''wódka'' referred to chemical compounds such as [[medicine]]s and [[cosmetics]]' cleansers. The production of [[liquor]] begins in the mid-15th century, with varied local traditions emerging throughout Europe, in Poland as vodka ({{langx|pl|wódka}} or {{lang|pl|gorzałka}}). In the 16th century, the Polish word for the beverage was ''gorzałka'' (from the [[Old Polish language|Old Polish]] verb ''gorzeć'' meaning "to burn"), which is also the source of Ukrainian {{Lang|uk|horilka}} ({{Lang|uk|горілка}}). The word written in [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] appeared first in 1533, about a medicinal drink brought from Poland to Russia by the Russian merchants.<ref name="KRPS" />

In these early days, the spirits were used mostly as medicines. [[Stefan Falimierz]] asserted in his 1534 works on [[herb]]s that vodka could serve "to increase fertility and awaken lust". ''Wodka lub gorzałka'' (1614), by Jerzy Potański, contains valuable information on the production of vodka. Jakub Kazimierz Haur, in his book ''Skład albo skarbiec znakomitych sekretów ekonomii ziemiańskiej'' (''A Treasury of Excellent Secrets about Landed Gentry's Economy'', Kraków, 1693), gave detailed recipes for making vodka from [[rye]].
{| align="right"
|-
|[[File:Chopamerd.jpg|50px]]
|[[File:Wódka Wyborowa.jpg|105px]]
|[[File:ZBG-700 B.jpg|88px]]
|[[File:Luksusowa Vodka 700ml.jpg|80px]]
|- style="text-align: center;"
|[[Chopin (vodka)|Chopin]]
|[[Wyborowa]]
|[[Żubrówka]]
|[[Luksusowa]]
|}

Some Polish vodka blends go back centuries. Most notable are ''[[Żubrówka]]'', from about the 16th century; ''[[Goldwasser]]'', from the early 17th century; and aged ''[[Starka]]'' vodka, from the 16th century. In the mid-17th century, the ''[[szlachta]]'' (nobility of Poland) were granted a monopoly on producing and selling vodka in their territories. This privilege was a source of substantial profits. One of the most famous distilleries of the aristocracy was established by [[Elżbieta Izabela Lubomirska]] and later operated by her grandson, [[Alfred Wojciech Potocki]]. The Vodka Industry Museum, located at the park of the Potocki country estate has an original document attesting that the distillery already existed in 1784. Today, it operates as "[[Polmos Łańcut]]".<ref name="Polmos">{{cite web |url=http://www.muzeumgorzelnictwa.pl/museum.html |title=Count Alfred Potocki Factory Museum of Liqueurs, Rosolios and Rum |publisher=Polmos Distillery |access-date=25 November 2013 |archive-date=26 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226213147/http://muzeumgorzelnictwa.pl/museum.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Vodka production on a much larger scale began in Poland at the end of the 16th century, initially at [[Kraków]], whence spirits were exported to [[Silesia]] before 1550. Silesian cities also bought vodka from [[Poznań]], a city that in 1580 had 498 working spirits distilleries. Soon, however, [[Gdańsk]] outpaced both these cities. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Polish vodka was known in the Netherlands, Denmark, England, Russia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, [[Romania]], [[Ukraine]], [[Bulgaria]] and the [[Black Sea]] basin.

Early production methods were rudimentary. The beverage was usually low-proof, and the distillation process had to be repeated several times (a three-stage distillation process was common). The first distillate was called ''brantówka'', the second was ''szumówka'', and the third was ''okowita'' (from ''aqua vitae''), which generally contained 70–80% ABV. Then the beverage was watered down, yielding a simple vodka (30–35% ABV), or a stronger one if the watering was done using an [[alembic]]. The exact production methods were described in 1768 by [[Jan Paweł Biretowski]] and in 1774 by [[Jan Chryzostom Pasek]]. The late 18th century inaugurated the production of vodka from various unusual substances including even the [[carrot]].<ref name="Wiwała">{{cite book | url=  | title=Od gorzałki do wódki – zarys historii polskiej wódki (History of Polish vodka) | publisher=Wydawnictwo Leon | author=Leszek Wiwała | year=2010 | isbn=978-83-928861-0-5}}{{page needed|date=February 2023}}</ref>

Though there was a substantial vodka cottage industry in Poland back to the 16th century, the end of the 18th century marked the start of real industrial production of vodka in Poland ([[Kresy]], the eastern part of Poland was controlled [[Russian Partition|by the Russian empire]] at that time). Vodkas produced by the nobility and clergy became a mass product. The first industrial distillery was opened in 1782 in [[Lwów]] by [[J. A. Baczewski]]. He was soon followed by Jakub Haberfeld, who in 1804 established a factory at [[Oświęcim]], and by Hartwig Kantorowicz, who started producing [[Wyborowa]] in 1823 at [[Poznań]]. The implementation of new technologies in the latter half of the 19th century, which allowed the production of clear vodkas, contributed to their success. The first rectification distillery was established in 1871. In 1925, the production of clear vodkas was made a [[Polish government]] monopoly.<ref name="Wiwała" />

After [[World War II]], all vodka distilleries were taken over by Poland's [[PZPR|Marxist–Leninist government]]. During the martial law of the 1980s, the sale of vodka was rationed. Following the success of the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] movement and the [[Revolutions of 1989|abolition of single-party rule in Poland]], many distilleries began struggling financially. Some filed for bankruptcy, but many were privatized, leading to the creation of various new brands.<ref name="Wiwała" />

===Russia===
[[File:Wodkaflaschen.JPG|thumb|left|Russian Vodka in various bottles and cups]]

==== Russian Empire ====
A type of distilled liquor designated by the Russian word ''vodka'' came to Russia in the late 14th century. In 1386, the [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] ambassadors brought the first ''aqua vitae'' ("water of life") to Moscow and presented it to [[Dmitry Donskoy]], the grand prince. The liquid obtained by distillation of grape [[must]] was thought to be a concentrate and a "spirit" of wine (''spiritus vini'' in Latin), whence came to the name of this substance in many European languages (like English [[Distilled beverage|spirit]], or Russian {{lang|ru|спирт}}, {{lang|ru-Latn|spirt}}).

Perhaps one of the earliest terms linked to vodka production was ''varenoe vino'' ("distilled wine") which appears in a 1399 document. Another term used was ''perevara'', a precursor to vodka, which last appears in official documents in 1495. The term ''korchma'' is one of the oldest official terms used for vodka, which was used alongside ''varenoe vino'', but later came to denote illegally produced vodka by the 16th century. Other terms that referred to vodka included ''goriachee vino'' ("burning wine"), ''zhzhenoe vino'' ("burnt wine"), and ''khlebnoe vino'' ("bread wine").<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pokhlyobkin |first1=William |author-link1=William Pokhlyobkin |title=A History of Vodka |date=17 December 1992 |publisher=Verso |isbn=978-0-86091-359-7 |pages=100–107 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=esHVFxS0F8YC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Goldstein |first1=Darra |title=The Kingdom of Rye: A Brief History of Russian Food |date=24 May 2022 |publisher=Univ of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-38389-0 |pages=24–26 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h1tZEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Schrad"/>

According to [[William Pokhlyobkin]], in around 1430, a monk named [[Isidore (inventor)|Isidore]] from the [[Chudov Monastery]] inside the [[Moscow Kremlin]] made a recipe of the first Russian vodka.<ref name="pohlebkin_history">{{Cite book |author=[[William Pokhlyobkin|Pokhlyobkin, William]] / Похлёбкин В. В. |title=The history of vodka / История водки |place=Moscow |publisher=Tsentrpoligraph / Центрполиграф |year=2007 |page=272 |isbn=978-5-9524-1895-0}}</ref> Having a special knowledge and distillation devices, he became the creator of a new, higher quality type of alcoholic beverage. This "bread wine", as it was initially known, was for a long time produced exclusively in the Moscow grand principality and in no other Russian principality (this situation persisted until the era of industrial production). Thus, this beverage was closely associated with Moscow. In 1474, [[Ivan III of Russia|Ivan III]] created the first Russian state monopoly on vodka.<ref name="distilled">{{cite book |last1=DeSalle |first1=Rob |last2=Tattersall |first2=Ian |title=Distilled: A Natural History of Spirits |date=12 July 2022 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-26510-1 |pages=140–141 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F8ZyEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> In 1505, the first exports of distilled Russian vodka arrived in Sweden.<ref name="distilled"/> By the 16th century, government-run taverns known as ''kabaks'' replaced privately-run ''korchmas''.<ref name="Schrad">{{cite book |last1=Schrad |first1=Mark |title=Vodka Politics: Alcohol, Autocracy, and the Secret History of the Russian State |date=March 2014 |publisher=OUP USA |isbn=978-0-19-975559-2 |pages=79–83 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rkRDAgAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> [[Giles Fletcher, the Elder|Giles Fletcher]], who was the English ambassador in Russia, wrote:
{{Blockquote
|text = In every great towne of his Realme he hath a ''Caback'' or drinking house, where is sold ''aquavitæ'' (which they call ''Russewine'') ''mead'', ''beere'', ''&c.'' Out of these hee receiveth rent that amounteth to a great summe of money.
|source = ''Of the Russe Common Wealth'' (1591)<ref name="Schrad"/>
}}

Until the mid-18th century, the drink remained relatively low in alcohol content, not exceeding 40% ABV. Multiple terms for the drink were recorded, sometimes reflecting different levels of quality, alcohol concentration, filtering, and the number of distillations; most commonly, it was referred to as "burning wine", "bread wine", or even in some locations simply "wine". In some locations, grape wine may have been so expensive that it was a drink only for aristocrats. Burning wine was usually diluted with water to 24% ABV or less before drinking. It was mostly sold in taverns and was quite expensive. At the same time, the word ''vodka'' was already in use, but it described herbal [[tincture]]s (similar to [[Nalewka]]), containing up to 75% ABV, and made for medicinal purposes.
[[File:Museum of vodka.jpg|thumb|A Vodka museum in Russia, located in Verkhniye Mandrogi, [[Leningrad Oblast]].]]
The first written usage of the word ''vodka'' in an official Russian document in its modern meaning is dated by the decree of Empress [[Elizabeth of Russia|Elizabeth]] of 8 June 1751, which regulated the ownership of vodka distilleries. By the 1860s, a government policy of promoting the consumption of state-manufactured vodka made it the drink of choice for many Russians. In 1863, the government monopoly on vodka production was repealed, causing prices to plummet and making vodka available even to low-income citizens. The taxes on vodka became a key element of government finances in Tsarist Russia, providing at times up to 40% of state revenue.<ref>{{cite book|author=Bromley, Jonathan |title=Russia 1848–1917|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vuFjmDQPG7kC&pg=PA40|year=2002|publisher=Heinemann|isbn=978-0-435-32718-7|pages=40–}}</ref> By 1911, vodka comprised 89% of all alcohol consumed in Russia. This level has fluctuated somewhat during the 20th century but remained quite high at all times. The most recent estimates put it at 70% (2001).

==== Post-Soviet Russia ====
Vodka remains a major source of state revenue and therefore of power. Seizing control of the state spirits monopoly [[Rosspirtprom]] and its [[Moscow Distillery Crystal|Kristall]] distillery was instrumental for [[Vladimir Putin]] to consolidate his power as prime minister and president.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Schrad |first=Mark Lawrence |title=Russia Has a Vodka Addiction. So Does Vladimir Putin – But Not the Same Way. |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/05/05/vladimir-putin-vodka-empire-00095109 |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=POLITICO |date=5 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref> Under his rule, the "[[Putinka]]" ("little Putin") brand of vodka became a bestseller, partly to Putin's financial benefit.<ref name=":0" />

Other popular Russian vodka producers or brands include [[Stolichnaya]] and [[Russian Standard Vodka|Russian Standard]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Some vodka manufacturers |url=http://www.onlinevodka.net/vodka-manufacturers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413034541/http://www.onlinevodka.net/vodka-manufacturers |archive-date=13 April 2009 |work=onlinevodka.net}}</ref>

==== William Pokhlebin's ''A History of Vodka'' ====
During the late 1970s, Russian culinary author [[William Pokhlebkin]] compiled a history of the production of vodka in Russia, as part of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] case in a trade dispute; this was later published as ''[[A History of Vodka]]''. Pokhlebkin wrote that while there is a wealth of publications about the history of consumption and distribution of vodka, virtually nothing had been written about vodka production. One of his assertions was that the word "vodka" was used in popular speech in Russia considerably earlier than the middle of the 18th century, but the word did not appear in print until the 1860s.

Pokhlebkin's sources were challenged by David Christian in the ''Slavic Review'' in 1994, who criticized the lack of valid references in Pokhlebkin's works and its pro-Russian bias. Pokhlebkin is also known for his Pan-Slavic sympathies under the leadership of Russia and sentiments that, in David Christian's opinion, discredit most of his work, especially his ''History of Vodka''.<ref>''Slavic Review'' Vol. 53, no. 1 (1994), pp. 245–247.</ref>

===Sweden===
Up until the 1950s, vodka was not used as a designation for Swedish distilled beverages, which were instead called ''[[brännvin]]'' ("burn-wine"), the word having the same etymology as the Dutch ''Brandewijn'', which is the base for the word [[brandy]]. This beverage has been produced in Sweden since the late 15th century, although the total production was still small in the 17th century.<ref>[https://runeberg.org/nfbd/0235.html Brännvinslagstiftning] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621022712/http://runeberg.org/nfbd/0235.html |date=21 June 2013 }} in ''[[Nordisk familjebok]]'', volume 4 (1905)</ref> From the early 18th century, production expanded, although production was prohibited several times, during grain shortages. Although initially a grain product, [[potato]]es started to be used in production in the late 18th century and became dominant from the early 19th century.<ref>[https://runeberg.org/nfbd/0233.html Brännvinsbränning] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621032823/http://runeberg.org/nfbd/0233.html |date=21 June 2013 }} in ''[[Nordisk familjebok]]'', volume 4 (1905)</ref> From the early 1870s, distillery equipment was improved.

Progressively from the 1960s, unflavoured Swedish ''brännvin'' also came to be called vodka. The first Swedish product to use this term was [[Explorer Vodka]], which was created in 1958 and initially was intended for the American export market. Although it ultimately failed in that market, it remains one of the most popular vodka brands in Sweden today.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.conaxesstrade.com/brand/explorer-vodka/|title=Conaxess Trade: Explorer Vodka|website=Conaxess Trade|access-date=5 December 2019|archive-date=5 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205152651/https://www.conaxesstrade.com/brand/explorer-vodka/|url-status=dead}} Retrieved 12 December 2019.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/757098/sales-volume-of-the-leading-spirits-brands-in-systembolaget-stores-in-sweden/|title=Sweden: sales volume of the leading spirits brands in Systembolaget stores 2018|website=Statista|language=en|access-date=5 December 2019}}</ref> In 1979, [[Absolut Vodka]] was launched, reusing the name of the old ''Absolut Rent Brännvin'' ("absolutely pure ''brännvin''") created in 1879.

After Sweden joined the European Union in 1995, the regulations were changed so that privately owned companies could produce Vodka.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-lagar/dokument/kommittedirektiv/oversyn-av-vissa-bestammelser-i-alkohollagen-samt_GMB119|title=Översyn av vissa bestämmelser i alkohollagen samt av bestämmelserna om försäljning av teknisk sprit m.m. Kommittédirektiv 1998:19 - Riksdagen|website=www.riksdagen.se}}</ref>

Vodka has become popular among young people, with a flourishing [[black market]].<ref>[http://www.thelocal.se/20120210/39046 'Vodka-mobile' selling booze to Swedish kids] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204011728/http://www.thelocal.se/20120210/39046 |date=4 February 2016 }}. Thelocal.se (10 February 2012). Retrieved on 19 July 2013.</ref> In 2013, the organizers of the so-called "vodka car" were jailed for two and a half years for having illegally provided thousands of liters to young people, some as young as 13.<ref>[http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/atalade-for-vodkabilen-domda-till-fangelse Åtalade för vodkabilen dömda till fängelse] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606074744/http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/atalade-for-vodkabilen-domda-till-fangelse/ |date=6 June 2013 }}. Expressen.se (3 May 2013). Retrieved on 19 July 2013.</ref>