Vodka is a popular drink in Northern and Eastern Europe, but is also becoming increasingly popular in Western Europe. Vodka is also written as vodka. This simply means the same thing, vodka comes from Russia and vodka comes from Poland. It is a colorless, odorless and transparent strong drink. Because vodka is odorless, the drink is very popular with alcoholics. Most brands sold in the Netherlands have an alcohol content of 37.5% or 40%.
Preparation process
One of the main ingredients in vodka is grain. Examples of these grains are wheat, barley and rye. The grain germinates, from which a sugar is formed that is then fermented with water. Potatoes are also sometimes used instead of grain, but this is less common. This liquid is then distilled. After the distillation, the liquid is preserved with charcoal in it. The charcoal ensures that any mess is removed from the drink. After this storage, the charcoal is filtered from the drink. After this, the vodka is ready to be bottled and can then go into the store.
History
It is not entirely clear where exactly vodka comes from. In any case, it was invented in Poland or Russia. It is known that vodka was already consumed before the year 1400. The alcohol percentage was, however, a lot lower: about 14%. But when distillation was invented in the Middle Ages, the drink was distilled to sometimes 70%. The recipe was first put on paper in 1430 by a Russian monk. In the days of the Russian tsarist empire, vodka was quite expensive. But when a tsar suddenly decided to continue producing vodka, the price went down. It was then affordable for everyone. Since then, tax has also been levied on the drink. The vodka was sold so much that at one point 40% of the state’s income was made up of money made from vodka. The Russian Revolution in 1917 made vodka less popular in Russia. Being under the influence of alcohol was out of fashion at the time. However, this changed quickly in 1943, when the Russian army drank a lot of vodka.
Vodka with a taste
Nowadays there are all kinds of vodka with a taste. These variants often contain less alcohol. Blood orange from the Petrikov brand is very popular. In addition to blood orange, there is also lemon, lime, tropical, apple and vanilla.
Nutritional value per 100ml
| Unit | Value |
|---|---|
| Kilocalories | 243 |
| Kilojoules | 1013 |
| Protein | 0 gram |
| Carbohydrates | 0 gram |
| Fat | 0 gram |
Well-known vodka brands
Vodka is produced and sold all over the world. The table lists a few major international brands.
| Brand | Origin | Alcohol percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Smirnoff | Russia / America | 37.5% |
| Finlandia | Finland | 40% |
| Pushkin | Germany | 37.5% |
| SKYY | America | 40% |
| Absolut | Sweden | 40% |
| Eristoff | Georgia | 37.5% |
| Żubrówka | Poland | 40% |
| Ursus | Iceland | 40% |
Well-known cocktails with vodka as the main ingredient
- Bloody Mary
- Caipiroska
- Scroppino
- Moscow Mule
- Screwdriver
- Cosmopolitan
- Blue Lagoon
