Summary
- The history of vodka
- Base Ingredients
- Classifications of Vodka
- Types of Vodka
- Vodka Regions
- Drinking pure vodka
- Vodka in cocktails

Vodka is definitely the most popular distilled spirit in the world. Vodka can be made from a wide range of raw materials, and nowaday is produced in many countries all over the world; its popularity comes from its unique, classy taste that can be appreciated when it is tasted alone, but also from its mixability, that makes vodka the main ingredients for a wide range of cocktails.
Vodka is often described as an odorless, colorless and flavorless alcohol, which in a way, is not that far from the truth. It is a clear spirit of high purity and the difference in taste can seem really subtle for those who are not familiar with high quality vodkas. However vodka drinkers can distinguish even the smallest differences.

The history of vodka

Vodka originated in Eastern Europe in the Middle Age: both Russia and Poland claim to be the birthplace of this ancient spirits, but its precise origins are still uncertain, even if we know that this kind of spirits originated among Slavic people who inhabited the North-East of Europe, where the extreme cold temperatures of winter inhibited the shipment of wines and beers, as these relatively low- proof beverages could freeze during transit. In ancient times strong drink was made by fermenting strong wines, meads, and beers, freezing them, and then drawing off the alcoholic slush from the frozen water. Then between the 12th and 13th century these populations discovered distillations.

The earliest distilled spirit in Eastern Europe, known as "perevara", was made of mead (honey wine) or beer. Vodka (a word originated from "voda", meaning water both in several slavic languages) was originally used to describe grain distillates. These were used mainly for medicinal purposes. Then, in the following centuries, Vodka became the term for beverage spirit, regardless of its origin.

It was not until the middle fourteenth century that vodka was discovered as a drink. Families and communities started to produce it before the end of the 1300’s for the purpose of drinking. In Russia vodka was used at religious events, as it was believed to contain its own "spirit". A cup would be passed around: those who refused to partake would be considered impious. From the beginning of the seventeenth century it had become customary for vodka to be served at Russian Imperial banquets and all important meals in Poland were begun with bread and vodka.

However vodka became also popular to the masses, therefore the potato, cheaper than rye or grain, became the ingredient of choice. Not only the potato was much more common, it was also easier to distill from than other ingredients. Later vodka came to be produced on a grand scale by large distilleries, and the potato was discarded: in Russia grain became the main ingredients, while polish distillers prefered rye. Today most brands of vodka are distilled from rye, wheat, barley, and most commonly corn. Vodka is distilled at very high proofs and then filtered through vegetable charcoal. The higher the proof, the less the flavor and clearer the color. Cheap, poular vodka can be obtained from molasses.

Vodka was also popular among Scandinavian people, especially in Sweden an Finland, and in Baltic regions: in these areas vodka was mainly made from wheat mash. Although vodka was considered a common drink in Eastern and Northern Europe for hundreds of years, it did not become popular in the rest of the world until recently. It reached United States in the 1930’s thanks to the famous Smirnoff Company who imported a vodka that is aged for ten years. Today vodka commands 20% of the market in the United States, and american distillers produce their own brands of premium vodka: USA is the second major producer of this spirit after Russia. Since Vodka tends to be a neutral spirit, it lends itself to blending with flavors and fortifying other beverages. In the 19th century, high-proof "Russian spirit" was held in high esteem by Sherry producers in Spain, who imported it to fortify their wines. Neutral spirits are still used to fortify Port, Sherry, and other types of fortified wines, although the source of alcohol for such purposes these days tends to be the vast "wine lake" that has been created by European Union agricultural practices.

Water is still the main ingredient in vodka (after all its name comes from "water", see above): at the beginning people used to produce vodkas with water taken from river and lakes (and some producers, like Stolichnaya, still do) while now distillers use their own pits; a scandinavian producer (Iceberg) use harvested iceberg water. Until the end of the 18th century, vodka was mainly produced from rye (sometimes with nettle or broad beans added), wheat, barley and oats. These were relatively cheap ingredients. As farming techniques advanced in the West, this cultivation became more and more expensive in Eastern countries while protectionist policies of the western countries hampered export: from 18th century on distillation from potatoes developed in Poland, where this vegetable are still used today. In the 1820's polish distillers became using sugar as a main ingredients and later plums.

If the range of base ingredients for making pure vodkas are limited, the list of substances used to produce flavoured vodkas is very long. The roots, shoots, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds of many grasses, herbs, shrubs and trees, both native and imported from far lands, are used to make vodka all over the world.

Making Vodka

- Fermentation
The first step in making vodka is the fermentation of the base ingredients into a pot. The choice of pot has a fundamental effect on the final result: shape and material of the pot should be chosen carefully.
- Distillation
The next step is to distill the wash obtained from fermentation to produce a high-proof spirit. the result of distillation is a high-alcohol mixture, still not perfectly pure.
- Rectification
Rectification is the process of removing undesirable components such as methanol from this distillate. This can be done with a simple pot still by discarding the first and last parts of the distillate produced; a modern continuous still can do this more efficiently. Higher purity and alcohol content can be obtained by multiple distillations; many vodkas are triple distilled, some even more.
- Filtration and purification
The distillate is then filtered, usually through charcoal. Other materials, such as river sand, have been used in the past, but charcoal is superior. Sometimes coagulants are used to bind impurities so that they can be filtered out more readily. Smirnoff, for exemple, proudly proclaims that each drop of their vodka passes through seven tons of charcoal.
- Dilution and bottling
The spirit after purification is at a very high proof, often 190 proof or so (95% alcohol). This is diluted, usually to about 80 proof (40% alcohol) for bottling. Obviously, the water that is used for this dilution must also be properly purified. Distilled water can be used, but it is cheaper to deionize and filter the water. This is also considered to produce a better flavoured vodka.
- Flavouring
Most vodka will be sold as plain vodka. Other vodka, however, is flavoured. There are many traditional Polish and Russian flavoured vodkas, and in recent years, many Western producers have released many flavoured vodkas, typically flavoured with citrus, pepper, or fruits. Most vodka is unaged. A few varieties are aged in wooden barrels.