Today, the great Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleev would have turned 172. He is great not only in that he created a periodic system of chemical elements with which chemistry teachers torture students.

It was he who first noticed that by mixing a liter of water with a liter of alcohol, we get not two liters of the mixture, but somewhat less, since the alcohol is compressed by contact with water. Mendeleev devoted 32 years of his doctoral dissertation to this discovery, entitled "On the Connection of Alcohol with Water."

He did not stop there, having begun a long search for the perfect vodka. Having appreciated his experience, the royal court put Mendeleev at the head of the state commission developing the perfect strong drink.

The scientist has justified the trust. In 1884, he received an official patent for a drink called "Moscow Special", which became the standard of Russian vodka.

According to the recipe of Mendeleev, and still valid, vodka is a mixture of wheat alcohol with raw soft water with a strength of certainly 40 percent. A liter of such a reference fluid at a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius should weigh 953 grams.

The inventor of vodka himself took it very rarely. However, he gave lovers advice on how to drink it properly. First of all, a little - a maximum of 150 grams per day. Not cold, but best at a temperature of 15 degrees. And in no case not "in one gulp," as the Russians say, but in small sips.

His compatriots took the last advice in their own way and often say: "alcohol consumed in small doses does not harm in large quantities."

The fact that only Mendeleev developed and patented the formula of ideal vodka does not mean that they did not drink it in Russia before. They always drank. Tsar Peter I, an alcoholic himself, ordered daily 1.5 liters to be given to his soldiers. "weak bread wine," that is, 18 percent moonshine. So, his brave and often victorious army went forever drunk, just like its commander.

It has long been in Russia and struggled with alcoholism. Even Queen Catherine tried to civilize Russian drinking, limiting the production of hard drinks.

However, in this area Mikhail Gorbachev was most famous, who in 1985 introduced the Prohibition. He ordered the liquidation of the distilleries, chopping down vineyards, and restricting trade. Gorbachev’s compatriots still taunt him and his prohibition, forgetting that in those days the average life expectancy of men increased by four years, and that then more people were born in Russia than they were dying. It is a pity that they also forget about the advice of the great scientist Mendeleev, who taught that one should drink little and little sips. . .

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  The main difficulty for those who want to study the history of vodka is that no reliable sources have come down to our days about the origin of vodka and the identity of its inventor. That is why the history of the most popular alcoholic beverage in Russia has gained such an incredible amount of legends. According to one of them, vodka was invented in the distant XI century by an Arab doctor. Since Muslims are strictly forbidden to drink alcohol, vodka was originally used as a medicine, as well as for making perfumes.

How vodka got to Russia

Then the European alchemist re-invented vodka. Here, too, the “green serpent” did not succeed in gaining popularity, as there were other alcoholic drinks in high esteem. Finally, vodka got to Poland. Or it was simultaneously invented by a local craftsman. In Poland, vodka was called "bread wine."

Foreigners brought vodka to Russia. After the capture of Kazan and acquaintance with local taverns, Tsar Ivan the Terrible realized how profitable a monopoly on the production of alcohol could be. The autocrat opted for vodka, and gave the right to make it to the boyars. In return, they had to give part of the profits to the state treasury.

Vodka in Russia began to gain popularity under Tsar Ivan the Terrible // Photo: rg.ru

It is worth noting that in many sources of that time it is noted that the Russians rather coldly accepted vodka. Until this moment, they did not drink hard liquor. The Russians liked kvass, berry wine and honey. Residents of Muscovy and the surrounding lands consumed alcohol very rarely. The housewives were engaged in its preparation and put it on the table only on big holidays. In Russia, drunkenness was categorically denounced, and avid fans of the "green serpent" were taken through the streets and beaten with a whip.

Legends

However, most Russians, as well as representatives of other nationalities, sincerely believe that vodka is a genuine Russian product. These misconceptions fuel several legends. One of them says that the inventor of vodka is the monk Isidore from the Chudov Monastery.

But this legend is not as widespread as the version described in the book of William Pokhlebkin. He claims that vodka was invented in Moscow while it was ruled by the Golden Horde. Pokhlebkin's cookbook was published during the Soviet era. A number of researchers believe that the customer of the work was Soyuzplodoimport. Thus, the Soviet authorities wanted to prove their exclusive right to vodka when the descendants of Russian emigrants in America who founded their own distilleries there began to challenge it.

The descendants of the emigrants demanded that the USSR abandon the name "vodka" and come up with something else for exported alcoholic beverages. Then Poland joined the dispute. Since at that time she entered the social camp, and there were no genuine documents capable of proving the true origin of vodka, the conflict came to naught.

Mendeleev

Another quite common legend is that the famous Russian chemist Dmitry Mendeleev proposed making vodka with a fortress of forty degrees. Allegedly this is what his work "On the Compound of Alcohol with Water".

According to researchers, in fact, Mendeleev was completely not interested in vodka. He despised drunkenness and considered it rather unfortunate that the state treasury was replenished by income from taverns. Moreover, the great scientist studied solutions of a higher strength.

Dmitry Mendeleev also, contrary to popular belief, had nothing to do with vodka, much less represented its formula // Photo: life.ru

40 degree vodka really appeared in Russia. It is noteworthy that at the end of the 19th century the Russian government became the owner of a patent for vodka Moskovskaya Osobennaya, which had forty parts of ethyl alcohol. At the same time, forty degrees appeared as a result of the rounding of thirty-eight and for a very banal reason - it was easier to calculate the tax. And the identity of the inventor of vodka remains unknown to this day.

Interesting topic for many :). Who invented vodka?Where did she come from? How did its production begin? What kind of drink is it that is considered to be “primordially Russian” around the world and cannot imagine a real Russian person without a glass of vodka on the table?

The word "vodka" first appeared in the XIV-XV century, but then this word was called a strong infusion of berries, herbs or roots in strong alcohol. It is believed that a kind of vodka in the X century was first made by the Persian doctor Ar-Razion, they also say that the Arabs invented vodka, but since alcohol is forbidden in Muslim countries, they used it to produce perfumes and as a medicine.

The trade name "vodka" appeared in the USSR in 1936 with the adoption of GOST. The basis of vodka is rectified spirit, which is produced mainly from grain or potato raw materials. But the latter is used for the production of vodka in the EU countries, as well as in Belarus. In our country, vodka is produced only from grain raw materials.

In Europe, vodka appeared in the XIII century, but it was used as a medicine.

Vodka first appeared in Russia at the beginning of the 15th century. It was brought by the European ambassadors as a gift to Vasily the Dark as a medicine needed to lubricate wounds.

Vodka gained mass distribution later, under Ivan the Terrible. I will digress a little from the topic and tell you that before in Russia people did not drink strong alcoholic drinks, but only consumed light low-alcohol drinks, honey, beer, berry wine. The hostess prepared all these drinks at home and put them on the table only on big holidays.

Here is what Samuel Maskevich, a famous Polish traveler, wrote about Russia of that time:

“The Muscovites observe great sobriety, which is strictly demanded of both nobles and the people. Nowhere to buy neither wine nor beer. Others tried to hide barrels of wine, skillfully closing them in ovens. But there were found guilty. The drunk is immediately taken to the “labor prison”, purposely arranged for them, and only after a few weeks they are released from her, at the request of anyone. ”Seen in drunkenness is again sent to prison for a long time, then they are taken along the streets and mercilessly whipped until drunkenness freezes him.” Like this.

But Ivan the Terrible began to forcefully impose the tradition of drinking vodka, acting very brutally. Why did he do this? Thus, he wanted to replenish the treasury for the development of Siberian lands. And he considered this method the most effective. Having seen the so-called “taverns” in Kazan he conquered, he realized what benefit they could bring if the state monopoly on vodka was introduced.

People were dragged into these taverns by force, forced to drink vodka, which, moreover, was very expensive and completely unusual for a Russian. Home-made alcoholic beverages were banned under pain of death.

In general, sooner or later, Ivan IV got his way, Russia began to drink ... and the income of the royal treasury grew ...

However, the Russian people were not very keen on selling this drink. This occupation was considered shameful, the very last thing. And drunkards in Russia have always been despised ...

Since the advent of vodka in Russia, the moral decay of the people began, a disease such as alcohol dependence appeared.

Rumor has it that D.I. Mendeleev allegedly invented vodka, and this is based on the fact that his doctoral dissertation is called "On the Compound of Alcohol with Water" But, it is known for certain that Mendeleev did not participate in the creation of vodka. In fact, his work relates to metrology.

And in 1885, sobriety societies began to appear in Russia. One of these societies was headed by L.N. Tolstoy. Here is what he wrote about drunkenness:

“An infectious disease is affecting more and more people. Already drinking women, girls, children. It seems to both rich and poor that it is impossible to be cheerful otherwise than drunk or half-drunk, it seems that the best way to show your grief or joy is to be stupefied and, having lost human dignity, to become like an animal ... ”

Interestingly, by the end of the 19th century, Russia occupied the penultimate place in the amount of alcohol consumed. We have more than half the population were teetotalers. Almost all women did not drink alcohol at all.

Comparison by countries the amount of alcohol consumed, XIX century.

And much later, during the Great Patriotic War in the Red Army, fighters participating in hostilities were given 100 grams of combat daily. However, this order was repeatedly changed, and in 1942 on May 12 an order was issued by the People's Commissar of Defense No. 0373. He read:

“To stop the daily issuance of the entire army of the army, to establish the procedure and rate for the issuance of vodka.”

In accordance with the order, the daily issuance of vodka was preserved only to front-line fighters who were successful in fighting against the Nazi invaders, and the norm was increased to 200 grams per person. For this purpose, vodka was allocated monthly at the disposal of the command of the fronts and individual armies in the amount of 20 percent of the number of troops of the front - the army. The remaining fighters relied 100 grams on revolutionary, social and regimental (day of formation of the unit) holidays.

Incidentally, this law was often used by foreign media to defame the Russian army. There were rumors of "drunk battalions", etc. fiction. Moreover, even in those days, alcohol consumption per capita in the USSR was much lower than in European countries.

And where did the name “vodka” come from? Opinions differ on this issue. Perhaps from the Polish language. Polish "Wodka" has the original meaning from "vodichka", which is similar to the old Russian word "vodka" - "vodichka". But there is also an opinion that “water” and “vodka” have different roots and therefore are in no way connected with each other.

In Russia, the word "vodka", also in the meaning of "alcoholic beverage" was first mentioned in 1533. The earliest Russian document where we can find the word “vodka” is Ivan IV’s decree “On the collection of duties exported from the sea by different wines and vodkas by yefimki, and with sugar, according to previous decrees,” dated August 4, 1683. But for a long time, vodka was called “hot, simple, table wine”, “penny”, “half a cup” and “moonshine” in state acts and statements.

But the tradition of drinking vodka in Russia was not always implanted, sometimes alcohol was banned, introducing the so-called “dry law”. For example, in 1914 at the beginning of the First World War. And the Bolsheviks, who came to power in 1917, extended it until 1924. Or, for example, during the reign of Gorbachev, a “dry law” was also adopted. There were even so-called “sober Komsomol” weddings, where alcohol was allegedly absent. In fact, there was alcohol on the tables, but not in bottles, but in samovars, teapots, in general, our people are resourceful. And the famous vodka coupons?

And in 1936 GOST was adopted, according to which the pure alcohol mixture was called "vodka". “Vodka” and “special vodka” appeared. The former are purely water-alcohol mixtures, while the latter have minor flavored additives.

And finally, in some Russian cities there are museums of vodka. For example, in Uglich, where in 1998 the Municipal Museum of the History of Russian Vodka was opened. It is known that Uglich Land is the birthplace of Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov, the vodka king, the founder of the Trading House P. A. Smirnov in Moscow in 1860, and the supplier of the Supreme Court since 1866.

In 2003, its own museum of vodka was opened in Smolensk. There are their own "vodka museums" in Tyumen, Moscow and Amsterdam.

Curious fact: the most expensive vodka in the world is “Diva”, produced in Scotland. Its price ranges from 4000 thousand to 1 million dollars per bottle and depends on the jewelry on the bottle.

I also suggest watching an interesting video about the history of vodka and alcoholism in Russia:

Do not forget to share in the comments what you think about this issue.

January 31 marks the 154th anniversary of the "birthday" of vodka. On this day in 1865, Dmitry Mendeleev defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic "On the connection of alcohol with water."

Vodka is a strong alcoholic drink, a mixture of rectified (edible) ethyl alcohol with water. To prepare vodka, a mixture of alcohol with water (sorting) is passed through activated carbon, then filtered.

By adding infusions of herbs, seeds, roots and spices to vodka, various tinctures are prepared.

Other types of vodka are obtained by distillation of fermented sweet liquids.

Types of Vodka

Ordinary vodka in Russia is a 40% solution of alcohol purified from fusel oil in water. Cleaning is done hot at distillation plants or cold at vodka plants. Here, alcohol is diluted with water (to a fortress of 40-45%) and filtered through a series of vats filled with charcoal (best of birch), which absorbs fusel oil (traces remain). The best vodka is made from rectified alcohol.

Special vodka is prepared by dissolving different essential oils and aromatic substances in ordinary vodka or alcohol.

To obtain fruit vodka, ripe berries are crushed, squeezed juice, sweetened and forced to ferment (adding yeast). Fermented wort is distilled.

The history of vodka

The prototype of vodka was made in the 11th century by the Persian doctor Ar-Razi, who was the first to isolate ethanol (ethyl alcohol) by distillation. The Qur'an forbids Muslims from consuming any alcohol, so the Arabs used this liquid (vodka) exclusively for medical purposes, as well as for making perfumes.

In Europe, the first distillation of alcohol-containing liquids was done by the Italian monk-alchemist Valentius. Alchemists of Provence (France) adapted the distillation cube invented by the Arabs to turn grape must into alcohol.

Vodka appeared in Russia at the end of the 14th century. In 1386, the Genoese embassy brought the first vodka to Moscow (aqua vitae - “living water”) and presented it to Prince Dmitry Donskoy. In Europe, all the modern strong drinks were born from Aqua Vit: brandy, cognac, whiskey, schnapps and Russian vodka. The volatile liquid obtained as a result of distillation of the fermented wort was perceived as a concentrate, the “spirit” of wine (Latin spiritus vini), whence the modern name of this substance comes from in many languages, including “alcohol” in Russian.

In 1429, the Aqua Vita was again brought to Moscow by foreigners, this time as a universal medicine. At the court of Prince Vasily II Vasilyevich, the liquid was apparently appreciated, however, in view of its strength, they preferred to dilute it with water. It is likely that the idea of \u200b\u200bdiluting alcohol, which, in essence, was an aqua vita, triggered the production of Russian vodka, but, naturally, from grain.

The method of producing vodka became supposedly known in Russia in the second half of the 15th century and was probably due to the appearance of grain surpluses that required quick processing.

Already at the beginning of the 16th century, “burning wine” was taken not to Russia, but from it. This was the first experience of Russian vodka export, which was later destined to conquer the world.

The word "vodka" itself appeared in Russia in the XVII-XVIII centuries and, most likely, is derived from "water". At the same time, in the past, the terms wine, tavern (the so-called vodka made illegally under the conditions of the state monopoly introduced in the 18th century), tavern wine, smoked wine, burning wine, burnt wine, bitter wine, etc. were also used to designate vodka.

With the development and improvement of vodka production in Russia, remarkable results have been achieved in terms of purification and taste characteristics of the drink.

In the Petrine era, the dynasties of the Russian "vodka kings" and breeders were laid. In 1716, the first All-Russian Emperor offered the nobility and merchant classes the exclusive right to engage in distillation on their lands.

In the middle of the 18th century, noble landowners, owners of estates scattered around the country, were engaged in the production of vodka in Russia, along with state-owned factories. Empress Catherine II, who patronized the nobility, granted him many different benefits, made distillery an exclusive privilege of the nobility. A significant part of the vodka was produced in the landowners' estates, and the quality of the drink was raised to an immense height. Manufacturers sought to achieve a high degree of purification of vodka, used natural animal proteins - milk and egg white. In the 18th century, Russian "vodka" vodkas produced on the farms of the princes Kurakin, Count Sheremetev, Count Rumyantsev and others enjoyed an excellent reputation.

At the end of the 19th century, for the first time in Russian history, the state standard for vodka was introduced. To a large extent, this was facilitated by the research of well-known chemical scientists Nikolai Zelinsky and Dmitry Mendeleev - members of the commission for the introduction of the vodka monopoly. The merit of the latter is that he developed the composition of vodka, which was supposed to correspond to a fortress of 40 °. The "Mendeleevsky" version of vodka was patented in Russia in 1894 as "Moscow Special" (later - "Special").

In Russian history, the state (tsarist) monopoly on the production and sale of vodka was repeatedly introduced. For example, in 1533 the first “tsar’s tavern” was opened in Moscow, and all vodka trade became the prerogative of the tsarist administration, in 1819 Alexander I again introduced the state monopoly, which lasted until 1828, since 1894 the state monopoly has been periodically introduced in Russia, strictly observed in 1906-1913.

The state monopoly on vodka existed throughout the entire period of Soviet power (formally - since 1923), while the technology for the production of the drink was improved, and its quality was at a consistently high level. In 1992, by decree of the President of Russia Boris Yeltsin, the monopoly was canceled, which entailed a number of negative consequences (financial, medical, moral and others). Already in 1993, a new decree was signed, which returned the monopoly, but the state was not able to tightly control its implementation.

The history of prohibitive measures against vodka is remarkable. So, during the Russo-Japanese War, there was a ban on the trade in vodka in some provinces of the empire. The Prohibition Act was introduced in Russia at the very beginning of the First World War, and continued to operate after the establishment of Soviet power (only in 1923 they were allowed to sell liquors with a strength of not more than 20 °, in 1924 the allowable fortress was increased to 30 °, in 1928 the restrictions were lifted , in 1986, under Mikhail Gorbachev, an unprecedented campaign was launched to combat drunkenness, in fact - the use of alcohol, which was unsuccessful and entailed the mass destruction of vineyards, the production of low-quality "underground" alcoholic products, t addiction, etc.).

As an element of everyday culture, vodka has taken a specific place in the history of Russian life, marked by such verbal symbols as “signs”, such as “coppers hryvnias”, “Katenka”, “Kerenki”, “monopole”, “Rykovka”, “andropovka”, “smirnovka” "(by the name of one of the largest domestic producers of vodka), etc., and has also become an invariable solid payment unit (" bottle of vodka "), especially in rural areas. Vodka is often perceived as a national symbol of Russia, along with a samovar, balalaika, nesting doll, caviar. Remaining up to the end of the 20th century, one of the most widespread Russian national drinks, vodka became the basis for a huge number of tinctures, the preparation of which has become a special branch of home production in Russia.

Since January 1, 2010, in order to combat illegal trafficking in alcohol in the country, Russia introduced a minimum price for a bottle of 0.5 liter vodka in the amount of 89 rubles. The corresponding order was signed by the Federal Service for the Regulation of the Alcohol Market (Rosalkogolregulirovanie). If the bottle is of a different volume, the minimum price will be calculated in proportion to the capacity.

Thus, now the consumer will be able to make an informed choice between legal and illegal producers. According to experts, taking into account the excise tax on alcohol planned for 2010, the cost of the bottle, VAT and minimum premiums in retail and wholesale, the price of a bottle of vodka does not really exceed 89 rubles.

Material prepared on the basis of RIA Novosti information and open sources

From time immemorial, vodka has been considered the national alcoholic beverage in Russia. There is no exact information about when and by whom this colorless water-alcohol mixture with a characteristic smell and taste was invented. Drink vodka cold with a variety of snacks, it quickly warms in cold weather. Most of the stories about the appearance of the drink are based on unreliable facts and myths that need to be debunked. In addition, it is very difficult to determine when vodka appeared.

In 1270, the medieval thinker Albert the Great   describes alcohol as "secondary raw materials." Later, Giovanni Fidanza liquefied ammonia in nitric acid. He established in 1271 that this mixture is capable of dissolving silver elements, and aqua regia splits gold.

Some alchemical treatises spread throughout Europe in 1350. On their pages was a description of the formula of royal vodka. Synthesis required   sublimate in a glass basin closed saltpeter, a wide variety of alum, copper sulfate and ammonia.

History

In the 10th century, a doctor named Ar-Razion made something similar to a colorless alcoholic beverage on the territory of Persia. Since it is forbidden to consume alcohol-containing infusions in Muslim areas, the invention was used in medicine or in a session for invoking spirits. Vodka becomes famous in Europe   at the beginning of the XIII century, but is also used only in the interests of healing.

The term "vodka" first appeared in the XIV century, but it denoted a berry or herbal tincture with a high degree. In 1450, this alcoholic drink was brought to Russia by Italian ambassadors. At this time, it was recommended as an antimicrobial substance and was used to disinfect wounds and cuts.

On a note!

In Russia, a drink similar to the current vodka was called bread wine. It was made from wheat or rye . Legend believes that those who invented vodka, became a priest from the Miracle Monastery. It was he, possessing the relevant knowledge, who personally compiled the first recipe for an alcoholic drink.

Under Ivan the Terrible, vodka gained great popularity and began to be used orally. Historians tell how the king, having seen the possibility of easy replenishment of the treasury when selling alcohol, forcibly and brutally instilled in the people the tradition of drinking. Vodka was bought in taverns, and home production of tinctures was completely banned. Since then, the notorious alcohol addiction, unusual for Russian people, has appeared.

Interesting!

In ancient times, people in Russia consumed only low-alcohol drinks infused with honey, herbs or roots. People also liked to sip berry wine or freshly brewed beer. Drinks were made at home and exhibited on a large table during the holidays. Great sobriety was required from the people and noblesand drunkards seen in gluttony were sent to prison for a short time, and if he didn’t recover, they publicly whipped on the street.

At the end of the XIXth, sobriety societies appeared in the Russian Empire, which sounded the alarm, seeing how alcohol captures not only men, but also women with children. In the USSR, the trade name "vodka"   It was officially (according to GOST) adopted in 1936. It was based on a rectified alcohol obtained synthetically. During the Second World War, each soldier was given 100 grams before a terrible battle. A little later, the norm increased to 200 grams, but was intended only for front soldiers.

On a note!

In contrast to the instructions of Ivan the Terrible, the Bolsheviks, who headed the country in 1917, introduced a prohibition on drinking alcohol until 1924. A similar decree was issued by the last Secretary General of the Central Committee.   CPSU M. Gorbachev.

The chemical composition of an alcoholic beverage

The main components are water and alcohol.. In the process of their synthesis, other elements are formed that can cause great harm to health with uncontrolled consumption.

On a note!

There is a fairly common misconception that the famous Russian chemist-scientist D. I. Mendeleev invented vodka. In fact, he simply defended   the dissertation entitled "On the Connection of Alcohol with Water" and did not set the goal to identify the ideal elements of an alcoholic drink. He put forward a statement about the strength of vodka (38 degrees), which was soon rounded to simplify the documentation on cost.