10 things to know about Vodka

We all know a wine expert, masters of spirits able to explain the difference between a scotch and a bourbon; Beer "doctors" taking all their holiday in Belgium. However, it is rare to meet a real connoisseur of vodka. This is your chance, thanks to us, you will forge a real knowledge about this mysterious Polish alcohol. You will thank us later ... You are welcome ! 

1/ Vodka is the most consumed hard liquor in the world

Every year, there are hundreds of millions of bottles sold worldwide. Vodka is far ahead from whiskey because it is present in many cocktails (Bloody Mary, Cosmo, etc.)

2/ The best vodkas are made from potatoes  

According the rankings, gourmet vodkas are those made from cereals. It's all the cliché of the "potato liquor" which falls into the water, since almost all the plants rich in sugar or starch can be used to distill vodka. It is like saying that the best wine contains no grapes....

3/ Until 1865 vodka was sold only in buckets of 12 liters 

It was clearly NOT the same relation to alcohol at that time ...  

4/ Vodka freezes at minus 114 Celsius degrees (minus 173,2 Fahrenheit degrees)

If you want to do some "vodka ice cubes" for fun, you will need a really good freezer !

5/ A liter of vodka does not weigh 1 kilo as we might think but 953 grams

Too bad our scales doesn't make the same mistakes ...

6/ Vodka should not be kept more than a year 

Vodka is not allowed to age like wine or whiskey. We keep it in freezer and not in a cellar. 

7/ We lend to the famous chemist Mendeleev the ideal alcohol dosage in vodka

 

Dmitri Mendeleev was in charge of "Weights and Measures" in Russia and signed a doctoral thesis on water and alcohol combinations. Marketing has done the rest, suggesting that it is the scientist who ruled that a rate of 38% alcohol was ideal. It is unfortunately wrong. 

8/Vodka has often helped for many other uses

The purity of the alcohol has done a good alternative to treat the wounded during various wars and has even helped some Poles  to use it as an aftershave.  

9/ The origin of vodka is told in the legend of "Vladimir: the butcher" 

A bit of knowledge, it doesn"t hurt anybody ! 

 

10/The Russians do not all say "na zdorovie" when they clink glasses with vodka 

But "vashe zdorovie" ("Cheers") for the first drink then "za milyh dam" ("For beautiful women") for the second.

Now you know everything !