Because of his reputation of being a guru of sort, Dr. Wetbrain had a lot of strange characters dropping into his country shack. One time there was a colorful hyper thing from Russia. Baggy shiny bright blue shirt and baggy shimmery red pants. A jet, black sash around his waist. And, a black packsack strapped to his back.
Sergei was literally dancing as he came down the path. Spinning around and everything. A very, very happy lad. When he opened his packsack, we knew why. Two big bottles of Vodka from Russia and Ukraine and lots of grapefruit juice for mix. With his huge white smile and bad English, he asks Dr. Wetbrain. “Got any glasses…. Ice?”
Doctor just smiled and said, “Da”. Even later that afternoon that was the only Russian word he knew.
After we all had our quart jars refilled with vodka and grapefruit juice, we sat around outside of the shack on top of stacked fire wood. “Do you want to know about vodka?” Sergei began and continued without waiting for a reply. “Us Russians and my neighbor countries, Ukraine and Poland all take claim to the birth of vodka.”
Voda, in Russian means water, which is what vodka looks like. Imported vodka from my motherland tastes like water also. You should try the 80-proof vodka. That will knock your socks off.” As he points to his bottles with an upward nod with his chin.
At first, in the 1100’s, vodka was made from rye grain. And used as an anesthetic and disinfectant, believe it or not. It was the middle 1300’s when vodka became popular for drinking. Perhaps the prescription conditions were not accurate, so lets drink this new libation instead.
Now these countries drink vodka with their meals and festive occasions. Adults also.
“But Sergei, when did vodka come to North America?” Curiously Dr. Wetbrain askes.
“Ah…. Da, da. About when you were born Deda.” Sergei replies with his odd humor.
“1930’s is when vodka became popular in this fine continent. Come, let us start on the next bottle.”
Dr. Wetbrain says that the 2 best vodkas sold in North America are imported from Latvia and not Russia. The horrible war brought on by Russia against Ukraine dictates that imported vodka is not from Russia, naturally. The 2 best imported vodkas in North America are Stolichnaya which is produced in Latvia by exiled Russian-born billionaire Yuri Shefler, and Moskovskaya vodka which is not Russian and made in Latvia also.
Hope you enjoyed this information on the Russian – Ukraine vodka history.