Editing Vodka (section)

==== 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).