Russian holidays - Birthday of Russian vodka

Every year on January 31st in Russia they celebrate a holiday - the Birthday of Russian vodka. For many years now, any significant event, be it a solemn date or mourning the death of loved ones, has not been complete without this national drink. The birthday date was not chosen by chance. According to historians, it was on this day in 1865 that the great Russian scientist D.I. Mendeleev received a professorship. He was able to successfully defend his dissertation, which was directly related to ethyl and devoted to the topic of combining alcohol with water. But it only touched on the study of the specific gravity of solutions under various conditions. How exactly alcohol would affect the human body was not at all of interest to Mendeleev and was not the subject of his study. Vodka appeared much earlier than the birth of the scientist himself - in the 10th century. Therefore, the connection between the birthday of an amusement drink and the day a chemist receives a professorship is purely mythological. Historians consider the Persian doctor Ar-Razi to be the founder of vodka. Although, the result of the experiments of the eastern doctor can hardly be called modern vodka: he was able to obtain ethyl alcohol. However, this particular circumstance serves as a starting point in the chronology of the legendary drink, since ethanol is the main ingredient of vodka. It is worth noting that at first alcohol was used exclusively for cosmetic and medical purposes. At exactly what time ethanol began to be used as a recreational drink, historians have not been able to find out. However, already in the 14th century. the process of making alcoholic beverages settled on Polish territory, and in the 16th century. The Scandinavians began to engage in similar activities. In Russia, the appearance of ethanol is associated with three dates that contradict each other: the 11th, 14th and 16th centuries. Therefore, the peoples who introduced our ancestors to alcohol are called different: some believe that they were Genoese, others are sure that they were Varangians. However, this issue is not of particular importance. Much more interesting is the time when true Russian vodka appeared. There is a legend about this, according to which the founder of the traditional drink is the monk Isidore from Moscow. Vodka was revered by many historical figures such as Dmitry Donskoy and Peter the Great. And now, having become many times stronger, the alcoholic drink still occupies a leading position in the choice of drinks by residents of the Russian Federation. During the reign of Catherine II, vodka was sold in buckets, since the bottles we are used to today did not yet exist at that time. In those years, this drink was very expensive. Peter I came up with a special award in the form of a medal “For Drunkenness.” Together with the collar and chain, its weight was more than 8 kg. They “handed” it to the most notorious drunks in the police department. It was impossible to remove the medal on your own, and you had to wear it for seven days. When celebrating the birthday of vodka, do not forget that this drink is good only in moderation and with a good snack.