History of Vodka

Russia claims to have established the first distilleries during the Tsarist era, which would have given them a monopoly on alcohol production, an unlimited source of high profits.

The dispute remains unresolved to this day.

As with other spirits, such as whiskey or rum, the name “vodka” is spelled differently depending on the country of production: it becomes ‘wodka’ when produced in Poland and “vodka” in Russia and other countries.

Originally, this spirit was made from potato peelings. However, given the difficulty of using the complex starches present in them and the roughness of the final product, it was decided to use cereals, such as rye or wheat, which are easier to grow in very cold climates.

But how is vodka actually produced?

First of all, to produce vodka, you need raw materials rich in starch and sugars.

The most commonly used are cereals (such as barley, rye, or wheat) and potatoes. After choosing the base product, it is ground and mixed with water and yeast to ferment, allowing this mixture to reach 8% alcohol by volume.

In particular, according to documents dating back to 1534, it seems that a certain Stefan Falimirz, a Polish herbalist, was already producing ‘Gorzalka’ at the time, a crystal-clear liqueur that only later took the name of vodka (from ‘voda’, water).

After a few days, the first distillation takes place, usually using a column still, during which the mixture is heated and the steam produced is recondensed. Immediately afterwards, the second distillation takes place, during which the heads and tails, both of which are harmful, are removed.

At this point, the master distiller decides how many more steps to take with the vodka: the more steps taken, the more neutral the product will be, even if the process becomes increasingly expensive.

Unlike spirits such as cognac and whiskey, where fewer distillations enhance the flavors and aromas, neutrality is everything for vodka.

Nowadays, the most common method of making vodka as neutral and tasteless as possible is to filter it through activated carbon, which absorbs and isolates aromatic residues. This avoids numerous distillations, thus keeping production costs lower.

Finally, once distillation is complete, the vodka can be diluted with water, which may be distilled, rainwater, or spring water, to achieve the desired final alcohol content.

It is precisely its purity that is most appreciated by professional bartenders, who use it to enhance the flavor of other cocktail ingredients.

Alessandro Grasso