Purely Men's article.
But I recommend read and women.
It will ...
About VODKA
(before use vodka - do not read!)
Be proud! Our land Principality of Polotsk, is a "precursor" Russian vodka!
It would seem, ask any man on the street: "What do you know about the vodka?", The answer will be a long, emotional and exhaustive. No! In fact, no simple matter. The most common answer to this question - why talk about it, drink it should be! When asked about the origins of vodka, at best, know Mr Mendeleev. quite unexpectedly I found some information about Williams Pokhlebkin, which I previously knew as heraldry and knew of his culinary passions. I opened the secret!
The first surprise. It turns out that the word "vodka" is a form of the word "water". So Pokhlebkin argues in his book "History of Vodka. Originally a Russian word! I trust him unconditionally. And its impossible not to believe him. It was him who returned the Soviet Union the right to use this global brand. And everything than reported in this book was proved by international courts!
And what about the Arabs, who, as everyone knows, the first news of the world to the opening of alcohol (from Arabic. Al-kuhl)? The process of distillation was known to them even in the VI century. But getting the product, which, as we know, must be 40 degrees, not fixed. And the Arabs were ethyl alcohol. A Russian vodka, as is known, obtained from cereal (its name is grain wine). By the way, even in the works of Aristotle (384-320 gg. BC) provides an indication of how to evaporate the water by heating and condense formed a pair by cooling. And it was the ancient way.
The second surprise. Traditionally, the Russian vodka was invented by the monks of the Kremlin in 1503... but! Pokhlebkin considers this date to 25-55 years earlier! He argues that the "bread wine was created in Moscow in one of its monasteries, in the Kremlin, and that distillation was developed in the period from 1448 to 1478.
The third. Strangely, but the modern vodka actually was invented by Mendeleyev, and accurately calculated the ratio the weight of alcohol and water so that the alcohol was completely chemically linked (for professionals: when 1 molecule of alcohol produces 3 molecules of water, there is the greatest strength, maximum compressibility). That is the weight, not volume ratio of alcohol and water, give a precise 40 °. "This sort of Mendeleev vodka was patented in 1894 by the Government of Russia as Russian national vodka -" Moscow Special "(originally called" Moscow special "). Therefore, and write the vodka label 40 °, not 40%. So carefully study the vodka label!
The fourth. Mendeleev did not drink vodka, preferring a good grape wine. This is very strange. What he has is opened in the vodka, which is not reported?
Another surprise.
Vodka "Smirnoff" is bad vodka, compared with any vodka, for example, our Vitebsk distillery. Yes! Besides information on the labels of Smirnoff vodka does not correspond to reality. The firm "Smirnov" in Russia was founded in 1862, not 1818, as adopted. The quality of them were rated as low "in all tests for all time from 1892 to 1991!"
The last surprise. William Pokhlebkin argues that "vodka is well suited as a gastronomic addition to the Russian national desk" and the promotion of “light alcohol” - incompetent! Else. From the perspective of cultural consumption of alcoholic beverages should drink alcohol only after the person ate tightly. And, finally, 75 grams of vodka a day - this is normal. All that is over - is harmful and is dangerous!
It is our land, or rather the principality of Polotsk, was a "forerunner" of Russian vodka.
Afterword. "In 1982 the International Court of Arbitration made the decision that USSR was assigned to the indisputable priority of creating an original Russian vodka as a drink and an exclusive right to its advertising slogan in the world market:
«Only vodka from Russia is genuine Russian vodka» 
