Hot wine, juniper vodka and sbiten: what kind of alcohol did they drink in Russia

The fact that Russians are the most drinking people, we hear from childhood. But you should not treat the eternally dissatisfied grandmothers on the bench as a reliable source of information. In fact, alcohol was invented long before us.

Another 7 thousand years ago BC. e. beer was brewed in ancient Babylon, and the inhabitants of ancient Greece worshiped the god of winemaking Dionysus and, of course, did not miss the opportunity to sip during the ceremony.

When did the famous “feast by the mountain” begin in Russia, what drinks were held in high esteem and how were they consumed?

History of alcohol in Russia

The first mention of alcohol in Russia falls on the pre-Christian era. Cheerful drinks quenched their thirst at pagan feasts, often called games. Alcohol was brewed by everyone for themselves. Most often it was worldly brew (fermented honey) or worldly beer.

In 1386, grape spirit was brought to the territory of Russia, but it did not take root among the local population. Therefore, after several decades, around 1448-1474. Russians invented their own drink – vodka. The liquid was grain alcohol and was of a rather weak strength.

With the advent of the tsarist era, a monopoly was established on the production of alcohol. It was she who influenced the culture of consumption of strong drinks in Russia. The main reason for monopolization was that the alcohol business brought a tenth of the income to the treasury.

Interesting fact! For example, in 1724 the treasury received 969 thousand rubles from the sale of “wine”.

What strong alcohol was consumed in Russia

Previously, the alcohol industry was not as developed as it is now. No cognacs, brandy, limoncello and other gourmet drinks were nowhere close. But there were a lot of their ancestors, who were divided into vodka (yes, in the plural) and wine.

Hot (sit) wine

Bread wine was very popular. It was produced from two types of raw materials:

• rye;
• wheat.

By quality, the drink was divided into two types – simple and double. The latter was made by distillation of simple bread wine. The product was smaller, but it was stronger, cleaner and, accordingly, more expensive.

Fact! In various sources, bread wine is also referred to as raka, araka or arakha.

Thanks to imports from Europe, hot fruit-based wines appeared in Russia. For example, grapes, cherries, apricots, plums. They were bought in large cities to be used for making liqueurs and vodkas.

Russian vodkas

In the XNUMXth century in Russia, any liquid containing alcohol was called vodka. The most affordable for the population was alcohol, obtained by distillation of grain wine. But there were many other variations of vodkas on this theme:

• juniper (veresovaya);
• star anise or anise;
• intestinal (now – coriander);
• lemon;
• caraway;
• fennel;
• zornaya (now – sellereynaya), etc.

There were also sweet vodkas (ratafii). To get them, it was necessary to add sugar, honey or some berries (mountain ash, viburnum) to the liquid during distillation.

What kind of weak alcohol was consumed in Russia

Before there was an opportunity to pass the time with tea with friends or a “coffee break”, in Russia it was customary to quench your thirst with other drinks. Most of them were low alcohol.

• Medovukha is the drink of the gods, as the Russians liked to call it. The first recipe was found in the book “Domostroy” of the 15th century. Alcohol was obtained by fermenting fresh honey in barrels with berry juice. Yeast was not added there, so the process was very slow – from 20 to 50 years, and sometimes as much as XNUMX years;
• Sbiten. An analogue of mulled wine, the recipe of which has been known since 1128;
• Kvass. It not only perfectly quenched thirst, but was also used to prevent scurvy and consumption;
• Beer. Drinking the drink was accompanied by all the holidays in finishing Russia. Beer barrels were in almost every home, until home brewing died under the yoke of the state tax;
• Ol. Very similar to beer. It was also prepared from barley, but with the addition of hops and wormwood;
• Buza. Brought to the territory of Russia by the Tatar-Mongols. It was made from water and flour, which were boiled until smooth. Then malt, honey were added there and put on fermentation. The liquid turned out to be thick and sweet, with a strength of 4-6 degrees;
• Berezovitsa. Fermented birch sap, which had an intoxicating effect.

What was the culture of alcohol consumption in Russia

Drunkenness, in the usual sense of the word, was not in Russia. There were several reasons. Firstly, most of the drinks were not that strong. Secondly, at all the festivities, cups were passed from hand to hand, so one person had time to take only a few sips.

And thirdly, with the advent of Christianity in Russia, it was considered a sin to get completely drunk. Anyone who violated Orthodox prohibitions was condemned.

Mostly strong and weak alcohol was drunk by men. At what the guys from 15 years were considered as the man. Former soldiers and ordinary peasants liked to get addicted to the cup at the end of a hard day’s work.

Drink alcohol on holidays or for a good reason. For example, they celebrated the birth of a child, moving to a new home, wedding, funeral, commemoration.

The meeting place was usually the house of the organizer of the feast or a tavern. They drank from scoops, cups, wooden kukhli. Only rich boyars, the royal court, had beautiful dishes.

The situation with the culture of alcohol consumption deteriorated sharply after the state monopolized its production. It was forbidden to brew vodka at home. Drinks were divided into expensive for the rich and cheap for the poor peasants.

Taverns were also closed, and drinking houses were opened instead, where goods were sold without snacks. As a result, ordinary people began to slowly become an inveterate drunkard.

Today, most popular drinks in Russia have lost their relevance. At home, they are mainly engaged in moonshining and winemaking. Homemade kvass, beer, and even more so sbiten are rare.

But nothing prevents us from reviving the alcohol culture and improving the already known recipes. Share in the comments what drinks you make yourself and how. For each recipe in absentia we put a like!