1 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:06,280 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday and Happy New Year's Eve. Since for a 2 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:08,200 Speaker 1: lot of folks, New Year's Eve is a night of 3 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: revelry and fun and spirits, we're bringing out our February 4 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: episode on the history of vodka as Today's Saturday Classic. Also, 5 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:22,239 Speaker 1: we end this episode by talking about some household uses 6 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 1: for vodka that do not involve drinking it. And after 7 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 1: it came out, we got a note from listener Megan 8 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: adding one more to the list that is substituting vodka 9 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 1: for half the water that goes into a pie crust 10 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: will make your crust flake year. Totally need to try that. Still, 11 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: Happy New Year, everybody, and thank you so much for 12 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: being with us over this past year. If you're headed 13 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: out tonight to ring in the New Year with some 14 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: cocktails or beer or champagne or other alcohol, please make 15 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: sure to plan ahead for how to get home safely 16 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: so we can all have a safe start to the 17 00:00:54,640 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: new year and enjoy this episode. Happy New Year, Welcome 18 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 1: to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production of 19 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 20 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: Holly Frying and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. I'm excited and 21 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:20,040 Speaker 1: self serving because today, we're going to talk about my 22 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: spirit of choice, vodka. As soon as you told me 23 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: what you were researching, I thought this is gonna be 24 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: Holly's favorite episode ever. Um, sort of. I mean, I 25 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: would get into some of the bleak stuff that comes 26 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: with vodka, so it's not all fun in games. I 27 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: certainly enjoy a cocktail, but obviously we are not advocating 28 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: over imbibing drink responsibly. We just want to talk about 29 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:45,760 Speaker 1: the history of this drink. Um, and the story of 30 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: vodka is one that is really closely tied to cultural 31 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: identity for several countries. But we're gonna examine where it 32 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: originated and how it evolved over time, and how those 33 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: identities sort of formed. I bet when I say vodka 34 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: and country, people automatic make a connection, and we'll talk 35 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: about why that's the case. Uh. We're going to talk 36 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: a little bit also about how vodka is made, and 37 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: then we'll get into that part about where it came 38 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,679 Speaker 1: from and how it has expanded to become really a 39 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: global market, focusing on those countries where it remains and 40 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 1: has become most popular. And then we have to talk 41 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: about some of the problematic aspects of vodka's place in 42 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 1: the world, but I promise we'll end in a fairly 43 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: fun place. Yeah, vodka is a little unusual and that 44 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: it can be made from a lot of different things 45 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: while still being considered vodka, which isn't so much the 46 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: case with a number of other spirits. There are of course, 47 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: a lot of opinions and disagreements about just how far 48 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: afield you can go and selecting the base ingredient while 49 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: still calling the resulting spirit vodka. Yeah, this starts some 50 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,959 Speaker 1: heated debates. I discovered in my research. Uh, it requires 51 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: a sugar or starch element to begin with, so most 52 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: popular in Russia and Poland as well as other country 53 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,639 Speaker 1: is kind of in that northern belt are grains, potatoes 54 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: or sugar beat molasses as the starting ingredient. Uh. There 55 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: is actually an area that's colloquially called the vodka belt, 56 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: which stretches from Sweden to Poland, and that produces the 57 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,079 Speaker 1: majority of the vodka that is consumed in the European Union. 58 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: In other places, though, there's a greater variability, including using 59 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: things like corn and fruit, and whether those things should 60 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 1: be considered vodka was the matter of debate for some time. 61 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: European Parliament ruled on the matter in two thousand seven, 62 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: giving a wider range of options for distillers, all following 63 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: under this vodka umbrella, defining vodka as a spirit drink 64 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: produced from ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin. Yeah, you can 65 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: even if you're feeling very very ambitious and uh want 66 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: to do some some juggling and babysitting. You could even 67 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: start a vodka from just sugar. Although it's not really 68 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: the recommended for general making, is my understanding. I have 69 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: never distilled vodka myself, so I'm going by what I 70 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: have read. Uh. That ruling that we just talked about 71 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: was unsurprisingly not entirely popular for vodka purists. It really 72 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: signaled a degradation to the spirit, and the Finnish politician 73 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: Alexander Stubb made the case that vodka should be more 74 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: specifically defined. He said at that time, quote, we have 75 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: made vodka out of potato and grain for over five 76 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: hundred years. When we became EU members in we were 77 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,480 Speaker 1: told that vodka would have a tight definition, just like rum, 78 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: just like whiskey, just like grappa. We don't want vodka 79 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: to be some kind of alcoholic waste basket. I really 80 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 1: like the idea that like it sounds almost like they're 81 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:45,760 Speaker 1: they're becoming part of the EU was in some ways 82 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: contingent on the definition of vodka. Yes, that was definitely 83 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,719 Speaker 1: part of what they were they were agreeing to, is 84 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 1: that vodka would have this this rigorous, fairly rigorous standard 85 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:01,360 Speaker 1: applied to it, and that didn't really pan out. Now. 86 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 1: The reason that the rules of what could be used 87 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 1: to produce vodka were relaxed was that vodka was already 88 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: being made from a variety of ingredients of distilleries all 89 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: over Europe, and excluding the producers that used alternates to 90 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: grain and potatoes could have led to a trade war. 91 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: Countries outside of the EU were making vodka out of 92 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: all kinds of things, and so had the ruling had 93 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:25,359 Speaker 1: taken a more strict stance, that would have opened a 94 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 1: huge can of worms in terms of the global spirits market. Yeah. 95 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: So if you would imagine trying to put this in 96 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: sort of real terms instead of just theoreticals, if you 97 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: went into your local liquor store today to buy vodka 98 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:43,279 Speaker 1: and you see all of the offerings, and then something 99 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: like this had happened and some people in the world said, no, no, 100 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 1: that thing you've been buying is vodka for X number 101 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:51,720 Speaker 1: of years? Is no longer vodka? Like it would just 102 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 1: be a little bit of chaos. Uh. In terms of 103 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: how manufacturers labeled things, I imagine there would be pushback 104 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,320 Speaker 1: because people wouldn't want to change the identities of the 105 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:04,800 Speaker 1: products they had been making for a long time. It 106 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:09,360 Speaker 1: really just would have been an absolute chaotic miss uh. Incidentally, 107 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:13,239 Speaker 1: in the US, vodka is legally defined in ultra broad 108 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:17,600 Speaker 1: terms as quote neutral spirits so distilled or so treated 109 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 1: after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be 110 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color that is pretty, 111 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:31,480 Speaker 1: it's so bad and yet regardless of whether the primary 112 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 1: ingredient is an old school traditional take or one that 113 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 1: falls under the wider rules, after the fermenting ingredient is selected, 114 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:44,159 Speaker 1: it goes through fermentation. The base material is crushed, blended 115 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: with water, and heated, which turns the start into sugar. 116 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: That result is combined with yeast, and then the fluid 117 00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:54,119 Speaker 1: is distilled from the combined mixture. So alcohol, of course 118 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: boils more quickly than water, so the alcohol component in 119 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 1: that mixture vaporizes more quickly than the water in the mix, 120 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: and that vapor is captured excluding the very first and 121 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 1: last vapors of the batch. And next that vapor is 122 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: then condensed into a very potent alcohol, and then that 123 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: alcohol is combined again with water to produce the final product, vodka. 124 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: That's the very basic process. If you've completed those steps, 125 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: you have what could technically be called vodka, but it 126 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 1: can be and usually is further refined and process to 127 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: alter the taste and the purity. Filtering it through charcoal, lava, linen, 128 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: or a number of other substances, or performing multiple distillations 129 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:40,560 Speaker 1: will make the spirit cleaner and purer and also remove 130 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 1: virtually all of the taste. Yeah, if you go on 131 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: a an online splunking expedition to see what people have 132 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: used to filter vodka, you will find everything from like 133 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: diamond dust to two pieces of cloth. Uh. And for 134 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 1: something that becomes part of their brand identity or if 135 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: they're doing like small batch artism and stuff, it's part 136 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 1: of their thing that they're they're creating new ways to 137 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:07,840 Speaker 1: do it. And of course, UH flavored vodka is very 138 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:10,840 Speaker 1: popular and the flavor has to be added after all 139 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 1: of these other steps. This is often done at the 140 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: production level. But there are also plenty of consumers who 141 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:18,960 Speaker 1: like to add their own flavor infusions to plain vodka 142 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: for custom flavors. So I'm sure if you have friends 143 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: who drink, you know somebody who has been Like I 144 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: infused my vodka with jolly ranchers, or with apples, or 145 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,240 Speaker 1: with any number of other I've had friends who have 146 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: done it with jelly beans. The result was delicious. Uh, 147 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:40,239 Speaker 1: it just depends on what you like. There are consumers 148 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,960 Speaker 1: and connoisseurs who desire a vodka that still tastes at 149 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,719 Speaker 1: least a little bit like its original ingredients, rather than 150 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: having a post distillation added flavor. Some artisanal vodka producers 151 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:55,319 Speaker 1: use small copper moonshine stills instead of the stills that 152 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 1: are used in larger production setups, because the resulting spirit 153 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:02,560 Speaker 1: retains some of those component tastes. Yeah, if you want 154 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:04,840 Speaker 1: your vodka to taste like a little like the wheat 155 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:10,760 Speaker 1: or the potato or whatever was used initially, then that 156 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:14,440 Speaker 1: is probably a better way to achieve it. Quality standards 157 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,559 Speaker 1: for vodka are actually a really tricky topic because there 158 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,960 Speaker 1: aren't any that are universally recognized. UH. Some countries such 159 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:26,000 Speaker 1: as Poland defined quality by purity, there are other municipalities 160 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,839 Speaker 1: that categorize simply by alcohol content, like what percentage of 161 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:34,480 Speaker 1: the resulting spirit is alcohol? Uh. There's also marketing in 162 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:37,720 Speaker 1: the mix playing apart, with some distillers touting the purity 163 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:40,479 Speaker 1: of the water that they use as the ultimate determinant 164 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: of quality. We're about to dive in so where all 165 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:45,959 Speaker 1: of this vodka production started, or at least where people 166 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 1: think it started. But first we will take a break 167 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:50,599 Speaker 1: to hear from one of the sponsors that keeps the 168 00:09:50,640 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: show going. While the identity of vodka today is one 169 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: of an intoxicant, initially it's believed that it was developed 170 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,680 Speaker 1: for medicinal use, but it's exact point of origin is 171 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:14,200 Speaker 1: lost to time and is consequently argued by various countries 172 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: wishing to claim ownership of the world's most popular spirit. 173 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:21,719 Speaker 1: Russia and Poland remain locked in their ongoing argument over 174 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: the matter. Both using language is evidence. So the Russian 175 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:29,320 Speaker 1: word for water is voda with a V. The Polish 176 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 1: word for water is vota with a W. It's a 177 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:35,920 Speaker 1: very subtle difference. I'm probably not enunciating it in a 178 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 1: way that makes that that difference apparent to native speakers, 179 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:43,440 Speaker 1: but they do sound very similar, uh, particularly to Western ears, 180 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:46,800 Speaker 1: and proponents of the Polish origins of vodka say that 181 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,840 Speaker 1: the word vodka with a W spelled the W instead 182 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:53,680 Speaker 1: of a V, appeared in print before vodka with a V, 183 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:56,920 Speaker 1: and thus it must be Polish in origin. There are 184 00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: some additional elements in this whole Russia versus Poland debate 185 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:05,320 Speaker 1: on where vodka came from. A Polish drink called gor 186 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 1: zolka has existed since the eleventh century, and there have 187 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,720 Speaker 1: been some assertions that that's the original proto vodka, but 188 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:16,600 Speaker 1: the counter argument is that the historic drink of gorge 189 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 1: yolka is a more general, undefined alcoholic spirit and not 190 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 1: really anything that can be definitively linked to vodka. Ukraine 191 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: also has a claim to vodka's birthplace because that area 192 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,200 Speaker 1: produced the most grains in the region in the fifteenth century, 193 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 1: so it would make sense that grain based alcohol originated there, 194 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: and there is even the possibility, truly that vodka actually 195 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,640 Speaker 1: first entered the region from somewhere else, and that locals 196 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:44,840 Speaker 1: then figured out how to make their own. We know 197 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:48,520 Speaker 1: that vodka as we know it originated somewhere in eastern Europe, 198 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:52,160 Speaker 1: but whether that's in modern Ukraine, Russia, Poland or Belarus, 199 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:55,679 Speaker 1: we don't really know. The whole region is inhospitable to 200 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 1: grapes as a crop, so inventive folks came up with 201 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:02,320 Speaker 1: new ways to make alcohol. All The prevailing theory is 202 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,319 Speaker 1: that we have monks to thank for it. This is 203 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,200 Speaker 1: true with the number of other alcohols. They needed a 204 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:11,679 Speaker 1: spirit to use as a sedative and disinfectant in the 205 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:14,280 Speaker 1: communities where they worked, and they turned to wheat to 206 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:16,880 Speaker 1: get it. Yeah, so that's why it kind of has 207 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:20,680 Speaker 1: those origins as a medicinal. In the fourteen hundreds, vodka 208 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 1: production became more refined, and it also branched out to 209 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:28,280 Speaker 1: use other grains. Early vodkas were most likely quite sharp, 210 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: having a very unpleasant flavor. They weren't doing all of 211 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:35,079 Speaker 1: that refining and filtering that we would do today, so 212 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:37,839 Speaker 1: flavoring started to be added in order to help make 213 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 1: it more palatable. Fruit, honey, and spices came into the picture. 214 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:46,600 Speaker 1: But in making vodka more tasty, distillers helped to shift 215 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:50,319 Speaker 1: it away from simply medicinal use to recreational because then 216 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: it started to be yummy, and that shift in identity 217 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:56,800 Speaker 1: to a beverage from a medicine lead to more experimentation 218 00:12:57,120 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 1: and innovation. Vodka stayed largely in Northern Europe for a while, 219 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 1: but eventually it began to spread. Like other products we've 220 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,920 Speaker 1: talked about as shipping and industry group, vodka was able 221 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:10,959 Speaker 1: to travel farther and farther away from its point of origin. 222 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:13,200 Speaker 1: But even so there was still a lot of cool 223 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:15,439 Speaker 1: stuff going on in that sort of cradle where it 224 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 1: first came about. In Poland, in particular, herbal vodkas were 225 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 1: developed to treat all manner of ailments and concerns in 226 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 1: the sixteenth century, and it was also in Poland the 227 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:28,560 Speaker 1: potatoes were first used in fermentation to create vodka, and 228 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:32,560 Speaker 1: Polish distillers continued to drive the exploration of flavorings and 229 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:36,760 Speaker 1: tweaks to distilling methods well into the nineteenth century. But 230 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 1: vodka is often linked with Russia and Russian cultural identity, 231 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:43,360 Speaker 1: and that's due in part how quickly I'm in the 232 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:45,439 Speaker 1: Third of Russia also known as I'm in the Great, 233 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:49,200 Speaker 1: established vodka as a key revenue source in the country. 234 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: In fourteen seventy four, he started taxing vodka and set 235 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:55,960 Speaker 1: up a government based monopoly on the beverage, and that 236 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 1: set the stage for his successor, i'm In the Fourth 237 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:02,280 Speaker 1: known as i'm In the Terrible, to continue manipulating the 238 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 1: flow of vodka to suit his own desires. Ivan the 239 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:08,000 Speaker 1: Fourth went so far as to exclude most of his 240 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:11,240 Speaker 1: people from having access to vodka. He set up a 241 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:14,680 Speaker 1: new social class of loyal favorites, and only they could 242 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:18,200 Speaker 1: have vodka, and in this move he redistributed land to 243 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: them and also turned his back on the nobility that 244 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 1: had existed before this restructure. He also used vodka to 245 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:27,720 Speaker 1: keep people loyal to him, because cross the czar and 246 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: you would lose your drinking privileges. Other Russian leaders similarly 247 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:34,160 Speaker 1: used vodka as a means to reward their favorites and 248 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,640 Speaker 1: to intoxicate guests so that they would tell state secrets, and, 249 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:40,240 Speaker 1: in the case of Peter the Great, force enemies to 250 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:43,440 Speaker 1: drink until they collapsed. But it was Catherine the Second, 251 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:46,160 Speaker 1: also known as Katherine the Great, who instituted changes that 252 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 1: once again put vodka in the glasses in the cups 253 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 1: of common people. Under her rule, the vodka monopoly ended, 254 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:55,680 Speaker 1: and more distillers were licensed to produce the spirit The 255 00:14:55,840 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: costs of vodka were also regulated to keep prices reasonable, 256 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:03,640 Speaker 1: but this often led to the dilution of the product 257 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:06,360 Speaker 1: on a part of the producers. Yeah, if the costs 258 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: were going to be capped at a pretty low amount, 259 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,880 Speaker 1: they were like, well, we're going to stretch our products then. Uh. 260 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 1: This also led to vodka quality being seen as a 261 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 1: shorthand way to identify one's status. So even though they 262 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,360 Speaker 1: had taken away the the access through the hierarchy, it's 263 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: sort of built itself again in a new way. The 264 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 1: wealthiest households began distilling their own vodkas with an array 265 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:32,200 Speaker 1: of expensive flavorings and spices, and this was to maintain 266 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 1: their distance from peasants in the eyes of guests. Even 267 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 1: the potency of the perfect vodka was scientifically measured by 268 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 1: the Russian scientist Dmitri. Mentally, if you believe that myth 269 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:48,320 Speaker 1: that name sounds familiar, it's because his published work Tentative 270 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:51,200 Speaker 1: System of Elements as the foundation of the periodic Table 271 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: of the Elements. But before that, his dissertation A Discourse 272 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 1: on the Combination of Alcohol and Water is said to 273 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: have established thirty eight percent alcohol by volume as the 274 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: best proportion for vodka. In fact, he was working with 275 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:08,800 Speaker 1: theoreticals and alcohols and much higher concentrations than that. None 276 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,120 Speaker 1: of it had anything to do with setting a gold 277 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:15,479 Speaker 1: standard for vodka. His connection to vodka has been mythologized 278 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 1: a lot over the years. It's easy to find assertions 279 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,840 Speaker 1: that he invented vodka. Obviously he did not do that, 280 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:25,080 Speaker 1: or that he served on the state's regulatory commission and 281 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:28,560 Speaker 1: was tasked with implementing rules for the perfect vodka. He 282 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:31,680 Speaker 1: did serve on a government weights and measures agency, but 283 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: he wasn't given any kind of mandate to codify vodka production. 284 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:40,200 Speaker 1: Just the same. His story, used in various advertisements and 285 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:43,640 Speaker 1: spread throughout the Internet, has added to this perception that 286 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 1: Russia is the epicenter of all things vodka. Yeah. The 287 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:49,560 Speaker 1: trick there is that at least I could not find 288 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 1: an English translation of that dissertation that he wrote, so 289 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 1: it's very easy for people to claim what is in it. 290 00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 1: So it really really does spread like wildfire. I'd read 291 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 1: that cirtation, though I would do uh. In the eighteen sixties, 292 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,680 Speaker 1: Pyotr A. Smyrnov founded a vodka company in Moscow, which 293 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,800 Speaker 1: became the favored source of the spirit for the country's royals, 294 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:14,200 Speaker 1: and it is now one of the most common brands 295 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 1: in the world, and it continues that link between Russia 296 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:20,399 Speaker 1: and vodka in the minds of consumers everywhere. Under the 297 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:24,320 Speaker 1: Bolsheviks in the nineteen teens, alcohol was outlawed. When the 298 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:28,399 Speaker 1: Soviet Union was established in ninety two, mild alcoholic drinks 299 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:31,720 Speaker 1: were once again allowed to be sold, and in vodka 300 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:35,560 Speaker 1: was again legalized at normal proof. When Joseph Stalin gained 301 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:38,760 Speaker 1: power in the nineteen thirties, he had state run distilleries 302 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,879 Speaker 1: increased production to generate revenue, even though he knew there 303 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:45,240 Speaker 1: was a real problem with alcoholism in the country. Yeah, 304 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:47,359 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about that again in just a 305 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 1: little while. But though some temperance efforts started after Stalin died, 306 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:55,560 Speaker 1: drinking remained a problem, and it wasn't until the nineteen 307 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:59,199 Speaker 1: eighties under Gorbachev that temperance efforts got a real boost, 308 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:01,879 Speaker 1: and the Fament made a concerted effort to get the 309 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,199 Speaker 1: entire country on board. And while the programs that were 310 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 1: initiated during this time did curtail drinking to some degree 311 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 1: and improve overall health statistics of the population, eventually public 312 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:15,880 Speaker 1: sentiment turned against it. Next up, we're going to talk 313 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:18,840 Speaker 1: about how vodka became one of the most popular liquors 314 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:21,000 Speaker 1: in the United States. But first we will have a 315 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:33,800 Speaker 1: quick sponsor break. Uh surprise, the US is the world's 316 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:37,280 Speaker 1: second greatest consumer of vodka after Russia. That may or 317 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:39,600 Speaker 1: may not surprise you. I found it a little surprising. 318 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:43,399 Speaker 1: Vodka didn't really get a serious place in drinking state 319 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:46,919 Speaker 1: side though until after prohibition. Prior to that, there was 320 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:50,679 Speaker 1: just a smattering of mediocre vodka options available, and it 321 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 1: really didn't catch on in any sort of significant way. 322 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 1: In the nineteen thirties, the Russian immigrant named Rudolph Kunnitt, 323 00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: who had purchased the rights to use the smeared Off name, 324 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 1: started selling better vodka in the United States than had 325 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:07,440 Speaker 1: been available previously. His Connecticut distillery struggled until the end 326 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:10,600 Speaker 1: of that decade when it was purchased on behalf of 327 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:15,120 Speaker 1: Hublind's Liquor Company by John G. Martin. Hublands was absorbed 328 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:18,440 Speaker 1: by a larger company, but Martin had wisely made sure 329 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:21,080 Speaker 1: that he retained the rights to the smear Knoff name. Yeah, 330 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:24,080 Speaker 1: he had been an executive with Hublands and uh he 331 00:19:24,160 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 1: had had written that in Smartly, where he got some 332 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,360 Speaker 1: rights for distribution, but Martin didn't figure out a way 333 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:32,680 Speaker 1: to capitalize on his rights to the smear knof name 334 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 1: until when he and his friend and tavern owner came 335 00:19:37,119 --> 00:19:40,239 Speaker 1: up with the combination of ginger beer and vodka with 336 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:44,160 Speaker 1: lemon or lime juice in a copper mug. Uh. This 337 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:47,639 Speaker 1: has its own mythology around it. Where it happened in 338 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:50,639 Speaker 1: l A, which is where his friend's tavern was, versus 339 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:52,440 Speaker 1: it happened in New York, and it only took off 340 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:55,600 Speaker 1: in l A. And that one of them had too 341 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: much ginger beer and one of them had too much vodka, 342 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:01,920 Speaker 1: and it was almost a Reese's Cup situation. Uh. And 343 00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:05,520 Speaker 1: we don't really know, but he they he is completely recognized, 344 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:09,400 Speaker 1: he and his friend as originating the Moscow mule uh. 345 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:12,600 Speaker 1: And once that drink was born, it finally made drinkers 346 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 1: in the United States embrace vodka, at least until World 347 00:20:16,359 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: War Two. After the war, for a while, vodka became 348 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,399 Speaker 1: sort of spirit non grata in the US as the 349 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 1: Cold War began and all things associated with the Soviet 350 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 1: Union reviewed through that lens. It didn't go away completely 351 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: and Martin was still concocting other cocktails with vodka, but 352 00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:34,920 Speaker 1: it really it kind of had a big spike in 353 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:38,520 Speaker 1: in popularity and then a big drop off. Vodka's reputation 354 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:41,720 Speaker 1: perked up once Sean Connery ordered a vodka martini and 355 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:45,200 Speaker 1: dr No in nineteen sixty two, but then it really 356 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:48,359 Speaker 1: got a boost when President Richard Nixon, after visiting the 357 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 1: Soviet Union, approved business between Pepsicola and the USSR and 358 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 1: exchanged for assistance and setting up a Pepsi factory in 359 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union. The US business was paid in Stolich 360 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:02,920 Speaker 1: nine of vodka, which made the soda giant the stolely 361 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,640 Speaker 1: distributor in the US. With the backing of a massive 362 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:10,280 Speaker 1: Kola brand, vodka became the most popular spirit in the 363 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:14,520 Speaker 1: US in nineteen Vodka remains one of the most popular 364 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:16,919 Speaker 1: liquors in the United States and smeared off as the 365 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:20,360 Speaker 1: most popular brand. Yeah. If you look at like year 366 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:27,040 Speaker 1: to year top ten UH spirits in the US, vodka 367 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:30,560 Speaker 1: is almost always in the top two, and usually it 368 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:36,240 Speaker 1: is um smear Koff. It shifts a little bit, but 369 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 1: I think whiskey kind of stays at the top or 370 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 1: has for the last several years anyway. Um, but that's 371 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:44,439 Speaker 1: all funny games. But we have to acknowledge that vodka 372 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:47,159 Speaker 1: has a pretty dark side to its history as well. 373 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:50,720 Speaker 1: There have certainly been plenty of issues that stemmed from 374 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:54,439 Speaker 1: over indulgence in and addiction to alcohol in the world's 375 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:58,359 Speaker 1: ongoing story. For example, in a late nineteenth century Russia 376 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:01,400 Speaker 1: was in the middle of a real crisis of alcoholism. 377 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:04,080 Speaker 1: It was so bad that it threatened the labor pool 378 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 1: and caused outcry from activist groups and churches and medical professionals. Eventually, 379 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,600 Speaker 1: Zar Alexander the Third couldn't ignore the problem any longer 380 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:16,200 Speaker 1: and limited the production of vodka, put regulations in place 381 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 1: to mandate quality, and formed a Temperance Society that touted 382 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:23,040 Speaker 1: the idea of drinking in moderation, despite the fact that 383 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:25,480 Speaker 1: the name of the society, which was the Guardianship of 384 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:28,560 Speaker 1: Public Sobriety, might suggest that it would be against the 385 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: drink altogether. To be clear, though Alexander the Third himself 386 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:36,879 Speaker 1: was a drinker. Yeah, he was definitely responding to outside pressures. 387 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:38,680 Speaker 1: He was not like, hey, we should cut back on 388 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:42,479 Speaker 1: drinking in the country because he loved to drink. The 389 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: state also started a program to boost non alcoholic entertainments 390 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:50,720 Speaker 1: as a means to curtail drinking. Free theater and concerts, 391 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:54,200 Speaker 1: as well as adult education offerings and other leisure incentives 392 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 1: were offered, but none of this really worked at all. 393 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:01,120 Speaker 1: Regulations did not stop illicit liquors sales and the production 394 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 1: of inferior product, and this problem with alcoholism persisted into 395 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 1: the Russo Japanese War and actually cost Russia battles, backing 396 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:11,800 Speaker 1: them into a corner and putting them in a really 397 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:16,359 Speaker 1: weak position for brokering a treaty. Additionally, the Czar's decision 398 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:18,760 Speaker 1: to ban alcohol in an effort to help the troops 399 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:21,560 Speaker 1: stay on task for that conflict meant that a huge 400 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,879 Speaker 1: source of tax revenue was lost in the process. And 401 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:27,280 Speaker 1: all of that was before the twentieth century efforts to 402 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:31,200 Speaker 1: sober up the country that we mentioned earlier. In a 403 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:35,080 Speaker 1: study titled Alcohol and Mortality was conducted at the University 404 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:38,159 Speaker 1: of Toronto, and it featured some really grim data. The 405 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:42,160 Speaker 1: authors of the paper, Jurgen rem and Kevin D. Shield, 406 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: outline the fact that more than two hundred different diseases 407 00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 1: are linked to alcohol, but their research focuses on cancer, liver, 408 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:53,840 Speaker 1: cirrhosis and injury, and their research indicated that in four 409 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:58,639 Speaker 1: of all deaths globally from those diseases were attributable to 410 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 1: alcohol consumption that same year, alcohol consumption resulted in an 411 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:08,800 Speaker 1: average percentage of years lost of four point Those numbers 412 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:13,199 Speaker 1: increased as compared to similar data from This is not 413 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: in your outline, but I was reading a thing recently 414 00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:17,919 Speaker 1: that was a hypothesis that one of the reasons that 415 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:21,280 Speaker 1: breast cancer rates are lower in Utah is because of 416 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 1: Utah's more stringent alcohol laws. I cannot speak to that 417 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 1: because I have not read it. Yeah, I mean, it's 418 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:33,680 Speaker 1: one of those things, right, we definitely have to kind 419 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 1: of acknowledge that, uh, consuming alcohol comes with inherent danger. 420 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:40,359 Speaker 1: There was a recent study I didn't put it in 421 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:42,280 Speaker 1: my notes either, so I'm quoting it kind of out 422 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:45,080 Speaker 1: of the air that basically, I think it was from 423 00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:50,040 Speaker 1: or twenty seventeen that was like, really, the safest way 424 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:54,120 Speaker 1: to consume alcohol is to not consume alcohol, because even 425 00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:56,960 Speaker 1: though there are and it's outlined in the RAM paper, 426 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:02,680 Speaker 1: there are some specific health issues that alcohol and moderation 427 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:05,679 Speaker 1: can actually help, but for the most part, like the 428 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:09,040 Speaker 1: dangers are far worse than any of those, So just 429 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:11,240 Speaker 1: things to consider. We're not telling people to go out 430 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:14,480 Speaker 1: and drink a ton of vodka. UM, let's all be 431 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:16,960 Speaker 1: grown ups. Uh. We and we don't want to minimize 432 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 1: also or downplay the issue of over indulgence or addiction. Uh. 433 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:23,840 Speaker 1: But that would be a really downer place to end 434 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:26,640 Speaker 1: this episode. So instead, I thought it might be fun 435 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: to close with a few anecdotes and facts about vodka 436 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,399 Speaker 1: that are just sort of fascinating on their own. We 437 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:37,080 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier that vodka was probably originally concocted for medicinal use, 438 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:39,879 Speaker 1: but there are still plenty of sort of old wives 439 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:43,520 Speaker 1: remedies that make use of it. Alcohol infused with St. 440 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:46,760 Speaker 1: John's work and sage is believed to have had curative 441 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:50,600 Speaker 1: powers as a liniment. Vodka served with black pepper is 442 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:54,359 Speaker 1: an old Russian cold remedy, and vodka fumes from infused 443 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:57,439 Speaker 1: fabrics are believed by some to cure everything from muscle 444 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 1: aches to ear problems. It's also used as an astringent 445 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:04,840 Speaker 1: cleanser to clean out pours and as a disinfectant for wounds. 446 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:08,320 Speaker 1: It can be used for cleaning surfaces as well as humans, 447 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:12,200 Speaker 1: as a polished for mirrors, chrome tile and the like. Yeah, 448 00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:15,040 Speaker 1: it definitely will kill all your stuff. My favorite use 449 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:18,840 Speaker 1: for vodka, which I didn't put in here, but it is. 450 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 1: Here's the trick I give to you that I learned 451 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:24,480 Speaker 1: from working in costume shops forever. If you get cheap, 452 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:28,000 Speaker 1: cheap vodka and you put it in a spritzer bottle, uh, 453 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:29,919 Speaker 1: if you can't make it to a dry cleaner, that 454 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:32,359 Speaker 1: will freshen up your clothes, kill any bacteria that are 455 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 1: causing odor, and help you get through to your next thing. Yeah, 456 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 1: this is why I have in my bathroom under the 457 00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:40,639 Speaker 1: sink there are two spray bottles, both clearly marked so 458 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:46,800 Speaker 1: I don't confuse them. One contains peroxide, the other contains vodka. Yeah. 459 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:50,639 Speaker 1: I At one point I was helping out as like 460 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,199 Speaker 1: a really low level mouse in a costume shop that 461 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:58,480 Speaker 1: was serving a ballet company and their uh, their costume 462 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:01,320 Speaker 1: director was all was walking around with the bottle of 463 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 1: vodka and spritsing things to make sure that they did 464 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: not smell bad, especially if you were doing like a 465 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:07,840 Speaker 1: matinee performance in an evening, and there was no way 466 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:10,720 Speaker 1: to really do serious cleaning between the two in terms 467 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:13,280 Speaker 1: of time, especially when you're trying to prep things for 468 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,680 Speaker 1: a full quarter ballet. Uh, A little vodka sprits will 469 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:19,520 Speaker 1: help perk things up and make it not smell bad. Uh. 470 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:22,480 Speaker 1: There's also another little household hand, which is that adding 471 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:25,320 Speaker 1: vodka and sugar to water at the base of Christmas 472 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:28,280 Speaker 1: trees or two vases of flowers is thought to prolong 473 00:27:28,359 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 1: the life of the plants. I have never tried that 474 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:34,119 Speaker 1: one me neither. Just don't make your don't make your 475 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:39,600 Speaker 1: Christmas tree water accidentally flammable. In the eighteen sixties, the 476 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:43,080 Speaker 1: smear enof distillery added annis and egg whites to combine 477 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,040 Speaker 1: with the vodka to make it more delicious. I would 478 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:49,000 Speaker 1: like to disagree. It's smeared off about whether that would 479 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:54,840 Speaker 1: be more delicious. Is it the liquorice or the egg whiteyic? 480 00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:57,720 Speaker 1: I love liquorice, so this sounds delightful. You can have 481 00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:01,240 Speaker 1: all mine. If you've never had like egg white foam 482 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 1: in an alcoholic drink, and that may sound weird to you, 483 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:05,960 Speaker 1: I encourage you, if you are of legal drinking age, 484 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:08,760 Speaker 1: to try it because it's quite interesting. There's a there's 485 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:11,760 Speaker 1: some good tiki drinks to feature it as well. Uh. 486 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:14,159 Speaker 1: This is another one that I love. In eleven, the 487 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,240 Speaker 1: Bullshowy Theater in Moscow, which was originally built in seventeen 488 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:20,760 Speaker 1: seventy six, went through a major spruce up and renovation. 489 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:23,480 Speaker 1: It actually started far before eleven, but that's when it 490 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:27,560 Speaker 1: finished after it had been neglected for several decades. But 491 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:30,879 Speaker 1: when it came to the finishing touches performed by guilders, 492 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:34,000 Speaker 1: they turned to a medieval recipe. It turns out to 493 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:37,520 Speaker 1: make perfect gold guilt, egg whites have to be first 494 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:40,400 Speaker 1: kept in a warm room for forty days, and then 495 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:42,640 Speaker 1: those egg whites are mixed with a clay, and then 496 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,640 Speaker 1: the magic ingredient vodka is added to that mixture, which 497 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: is then used to apply gold leaf. And according to 498 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: Mikhail Sudarov, who works with the company that handled this 499 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 1: refurbishment project, quote, this method keeps gold from being overused 500 00:28:56,920 --> 00:29:00,880 Speaker 1: and helps retain its luster for fifty to seventy years. So, 501 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:03,120 Speaker 1: in essence, the same kind of thing that makes baked 502 00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:06,000 Speaker 1: bread look shiny and delicious will also make your gold 503 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:10,840 Speaker 1: gleam and gleam in the light. Due to an uptick 504 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:14,960 Speaker 1: in specific diets, there are now vodka's marketed that fit 505 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:19,920 Speaker 1: within various eating restrictions, so any domestically made, non flavored, 506 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:23,560 Speaker 1: grain or potato based vodka in the US is considered kosher. 507 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:26,840 Speaker 1: Some brands made outside the US to use to seek 508 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:31,959 Speaker 1: Kosher certification from the Orthodox Union, including stolach Naya and 509 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:35,080 Speaker 1: Crystal Head, and some vodkas include messaging on the label 510 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:39,920 Speaker 1: about their gluten free status. Yeah, if you have dietary restrictions, 511 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:43,440 Speaker 1: there is probably a company out there making vodka that 512 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:45,440 Speaker 1: wants to make sure you know you can drink whatever 513 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 1: it is they're making. Um. And because I love talking 514 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:53,200 Speaker 1: about art, we're gonna end with innovative Norwegian artist Zebjorn 515 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:56,920 Speaker 1: sand And when Sound was visiting Antarctica and was inspired 516 00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,560 Speaker 1: to paint using the watercolors that he had brought with him, 517 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:01,960 Speaker 1: ran into a little bit of a problem, which is 518 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:04,720 Speaker 1: his paints were freezing before he could get anything done, 519 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:08,600 Speaker 1: and his Russian guides suggested vodka, and he found success 520 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:11,200 Speaker 1: when he mixed that with his pigments, and he called 521 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:16,040 Speaker 1: the resulting technique vodka color. I love a little innovation. 522 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 1: I feel like vodka is sort of one of those 523 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:23,080 Speaker 1: universal solvent substances because it does get you still medicinally 524 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:27,960 Speaker 1: still for cleaning and a stringent needs and also in 525 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:31,720 Speaker 1: art and also to make things beautiful and guilt edged 526 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:38,320 Speaker 1: with gold fabulous. Okay again, don't overindulge. Please be careful 527 00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:40,920 Speaker 1: with your vodka consumption or don't drink at all if 528 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,200 Speaker 1: that is the choice that you would rather make. Yeah, 529 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:47,440 Speaker 1: totally fine. Uh whatever works for you and is best 530 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:50,760 Speaker 1: for your health. I feel a little like Steve Rule, 531 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:59,200 Speaker 1: but I'm back up off of that. Thanks so much 532 00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:02,280 Speaker 1: for joining us on this Saturday. Since this episode is 533 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 1: out of the archive, if you heard an email address 534 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:06,600 Speaker 1: or a Facebook U r L or something similar over 535 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:09,240 Speaker 1: the course of the show, that could be obsolete now. 536 00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:13,920 Speaker 1: Our current email address is History Podcast at i heart 537 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:17,640 Speaker 1: radio dot com. 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