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We once went to a bar with a friend. We thought for a long time what to order a drink. Finally, we decided to diversify our alcoholic menu with old-fashioned cocktails. They called the bartender and asked for some advice. The young guy listed us a dozen or two names.
After listening to them, my friend smiled bitterly and complained that in Soviet times there were much fewer cocktails.
Story from subscriber Ivan.
Were there cocktails in the USSR
The bartender looked at us in surprise and, apparently driven by curiosity, intervened in the conversation. He was sure that cocktails were not prepared at all in the Union. A friend, who by that time had already tasted several local recipes, said that they were, and even what.
At first, cocktails in the USSR were considered a relic of the bourgeois past and were not popular. However, over time, they began to spread. First among the intelligentsia, then among the people. There were even institutions that specialized only in their manufacture.
The glory of the Cocktail Hall, which appeared in Moscow before the Great Patriotic War, thundered throughout the Union. What was not served there! They say that the restaurant’s menu was larger than the telephone directories of some cities.
History reference. The cocktail lounge was closed in the 60s during Khrushchev’s fight against Westernism.
The interior of the Cocktail Hall.
Of course, ordinary people could not afford to go to expensive restaurants, so the craftsmen began to invent their own cocktails, so to speak, from what was at hand. Recipes were passed from mouth to mouth. Rarely could they be found in newspapers and magazines.
The most popular cocktails from the times of the USSR with strong alcohol
The friend didn’t budge. He seemed to be transported several decades ago during the Soviet Union. How did he know so much about cocktails of the Soviet period, I did not dare to ask, and even more so the bartender. Painfully enthusiastically comrade told. Moreover, we were already talking about specific brands.
The main ingredient for cocktails with strong alcohol was, of course, vodka. Anything else was hard to come by.
The Volga was very popular in restaurants:
- vodka Stolichnaya;
- mint and orange liqueur;
- lemon juice;
- sugar.
Among the people, the so-called PPOK was widespread. Vodka was added to the beer, the glass was hit against the knees so that the foam went, and they drank sharply.
Note! Strong alcohol lovers often replaced vodka in cocktails with alcohol or even moonshine.
Here in such places they drank cocktails in the USSR.
The Arctic theme has always been held in high esteem by the Soviet people. Apparently, this is why the Brown Bear cocktails (cognac with champagne in equal proportions) and the Polar Bear (vodka with champagne), as well as the Northern Lights (30 parts of alcohol and 70 parts of semi-dry champagne) appeared.
The most popular cocktails from the times of the USSR with weak alcohol
Then the bartender could not resist and asked: “And besides vodka, in the Soviet Union did they take anything for making cocktails?”
“They took it,” the friend answered and continued his story.
Cocktails were also made from wine and liquor. There was a so-called Butterfly. It was made from red wine mixed with beer. One of the most common was Cherry. It was served both in restaurants and made at home. The composition is extremely simple:
- 50 grams of cherry liqueur;
- 100 grams of champagne;
- 25 grams of compote, also better than cherry;
- 1/8 of a medium lemon.
There was also Old Thomas:
- liqueur “Bath Tallinn” – 50 gr.;
- red currant juice – 75 gr.;
- cherry compote – 25 gr.;
- 1 slice of lemon;
- 4-5 cherries.
Note! At home, cocktails were made very simple – from beer, champagne and wine.
Cocktails with unusual ingredients
“Well, were there any unusual cocktails in the Soviet past?” the bartender asked, slowly taking out a notepad and pen. I reasonably assumed that cocktails from the times of the USSR would soon appear in this bar and, as practice showed, I was not mistaken.
“There was such a thing,” the friend grinned and continued his story.
The ingredients were different.
Then we heard a strange name – something like “Go down on a parachute.” 50 gr. vodka was added to a glass of strong tea, a few spoons of sugar were poured into it and a lemon was put.
The sailors drank Tobacco Captain. Everything was extremely simple here: a couple of pinches of snuff were poured into half a liter of beer, and the whole thing was thoroughly stirred.
They also mixed vodka with egg yolk and bread, but the friend did not remember the name of this cocktail.
In general, that evening we heard a lot of old cocktail recipes. I was just curious, and the bartender expanded the menu of his establishment by several items. And what cocktails from the times of the Soviet Union can you name?
*Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health!