Vodka
has a mixed reputation! Some consider it Heaven, some
Hell! Both sides can be right.
Russians
traditionally drink vodka for any significant occasion,
like a wedding, the birth of a child, or a new job.
The
appearance of the drink is not dangerous... it looks like
simple water (in Russian the word vodka means "little
water") and some people do not think about danger.
Vodka, like any alcohol, can be very addictive, and if
abused can lead to illness.
There
is much speculation about where vodka was first created.
We know that wine and homemade fruit wines have been used
by humans for thousands of years.
The
history of alcohol in Russia goes back a long way. It
is widely believed that Prince Vladimir of Kiev chose
Christianity over Islam in the year 987 simply to avoid
the Muslim prohibition on alcohol. His words, "drinking
is the joy of the Rus", are better remembered in Russia
than his other historical achievements.
Real
vodka appeared on the scene when Vladimir's countrymen
learned the craft of alcohol distillation, probably from
Tatar invaders. The Russian historian V.Pokhlebkin maintains
that vodka was first produced in a monastery in Moscow
in the middle of the 15th century.
More:
>>
More
information on origins of vodka
Many
monasteries, medicine-men, and natural healers used alcohol
to create herbal tinctures that were prescribed to treat
many disorders. Alcohol
was much stronger than water for infusions and has antibacterial
properties. Herbal tinctures became popular as new remedies
and alcohol was used during surgery as an anesthetic.
Today alcohol is still widely used in medicine.
The
essences of many herbs were used to treat different diseases.
The method of extracting herbal essences is simple: a
bottle containing herbs is filled with alcohol. This mixture
stands for 2 weeks and is shaken well every few days.
It is then strained and the residue is squeezed out. The
herbal extract or essence is ready!
Tinctures
were sold by healers or in pharmacies and prescribed to
use as drops. But the taste of some of them was so pleasant
that people used more than was prescribed. Later, alcohol
started to be used in cosmetics.
