Mendeleev and vodka. How the myth about the creation of vodka by Mendeleev was born. Some versions about the appearance of vodka in Russia
Today the great Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleev would have turned 172 years old. He is great not only because he created a periodic system of chemical elements, with which chemistry teachers torture students.
It was he who first noticed that by mixing a liter of water with a liter of alcohol, we get not two liters of the mixture, but somewhat less, since alcohol is compressed upon contact with water. Mendeleev dedicated his doctoral dissertation, written at the age of 32, to this discovery, entitled "On the combination of alcohol with water."
He did not stop there, starting a long search for the perfect vodka. Evaluating his experience, the royal court put Mendeleev in charge of the state commission, developing the ideal strong drink.
The scientist justified the trust. In 1884 he received an official patent for a drink called "Moscow Special", which became the standard of Russian vodka.
According to Mendeleev's recipe, which is still in force, vodka is a mixture of wheat alcohol with raw soft water with a strength of 40 percent. A liter of such a reference liquid at 15 degrees Celsius should weigh 953 grams.
The inventor of vodka himself very rarely took on it. However, he gave advice to amateurs on how to drink it properly. First of all, a little - a maximum of 150 grams per day. Not cold, but best at 15 degrees. And by no means "in one gulp," as the Russians say, but in small sips.
His compatriots took the last advice in their own way and often say: "alcohol consumed in small doses does not harm in large quantities."
The fact that only Mendeleev developed and patented the formula for an ideal vodka does not mean that they did not drink in Russia before him. They always drank. Tsar Peter I, himself an alcoholic, ordered to give out 1.5 liters to his soldiers every day. "weak bread wine", that is, 18% moonshine. So, his brave and often victorious army went around drunk forever, just like its commander.
For a long time in Russia and fought against alcoholism. Even Tsarina Catherine tried to civilize Russian drinking by limiting the production of spirits.
However, in this area, Mikhail Gorbachev became the most famous, who in 1985 introduced "dry law". He ordered to liquidate wine and vodka factories, cut down vineyards, and restrict trade. Gorbachev's compatriots still scoff at him and his dry law, forgetting that in those days the average life expectancy of men increased by four years, and that then more people were born in Russia than died. It is a pity that they also forget about the advice of the great scientist Mendeleev, who taught that you need to drink a little and in small sips. ... ...
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DI. Mendeleev devoted 44 scientific works to solutions and hydrates.Dmitry Ivanovich's first major work on solutions is his doctoral dissertation « About the combination of alcohol with water ", the defense of which took place on January 31 (February 12), 1865 at St. Petersburg University at a meeting of the Council of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics.
According to chemical theory, some interaction of particles occurs in solution, due to weak forces of chemical affinity, as a result of which compounds of an undefined composition - hydrates - are formed. Considering solutions as indeterminate compounds, Mendeleev sought to reveal the relationship between definite and indefinite compounds: « I think, however, it is not superfluous to note that consideration of the totality of currently known facts relating to indefinite chemical compounds leads me to the conviction that certain chemical compounds constitute only a special case of indefinite chemical compounds, that a more complete study of the latter will be reflected in theoretical views on the whole body of chemical information. The collection of materials needed to resolve the issue of undefined compounds is the task of my work " - he wrote in the "Introduction" to the dissertation.
Its five chapters are devoted to the development of a technique for accurate measurements and verification of data on the coincidence of the maximum compression with the ratio of the components of the solution, which should have indicated the existence of certain chemical compounds in solutions.
Hydration (from the Greek hydor-water), the attachment of water to molecules, atoms or ions can be carried out without destruction or with the destruction of water molecules. Hydration without breaking down water molecules results in hydrates. It is due to electrostatic and van der Waals interactions, coordination and hydrogen bonds. Hydration in solution is a special case of solvation.
Mendeleev noted that alcohol tends to produce a mysterious compression of the entire mixture when combined with water: 500 g of water and 500 g of alcohol result in 941 g of solution. For a year and a half, he searched for the ideal ratio of the volume and weight of parts of alcohol and water in solution, mixed various samples of the weight of water and alcohol, which was then very difficult and time consuming.
To achieve the most flavorful and healthy vodka proportion of 40 degrees, which Mendeleev empirically determined, one should not mix the volumes of alcohol and water, but their exact weight ratios. With a strength of 41 or 39 degrees, the physiological effect of vodka on the human body sharply worsens.
2.3 D.I. Mendeleev and the discovery of vodka
In the last decade in Russia, to the multifaceted activities of D.I. Mendeleev, they add something to which he had nothing to do. With the light hand of the candidate of historical sciences, the author of culinary books Pokhlebkin William Vasilyevich, the story that "DI Mendeleev reformed vodka ..." began to acquire incredible details.
Dmitry Ivanovich scientifically proved that the composition of vodka, that is, the combination of grain alcohol with water, should not be done by simply merging the volumes, but by accurately weighing a certain part of the alcohol. He drew attention to the connection with the appearance of different qualities in different water-alcohol mixtures. It turned out that the physical, biochemical and physiological qualities of these mixtures are also different, which prompted him to look for the ideal ratio of volume and weight of parts of alcohol and water in solution. As a result of the studies carried out at the end of the 19th century, only the product that was grain alcohol diluted by weight with water to exactly 40 ° began to be considered Russian vodka. This Mendeleev's composition of vodka was patented in 1894 by the government of Russia as the Russian national vodka "Moscow special". (Pokhlebkin V.V. "History of vodka". M, 1991)
The discovery of the secret of making Russian vodka began to be associated with the name of Mendeleev. Dmitry Ivanovich scientifically substantiated its ideal fortress.
What is vodka? This is a water-alcohol solution where ethyl alcohol and water are mixed by weight - 60 parts of water and 40 parts of alcohol. At such a concentration of alcohol, its aqueous solution is characterized by maximum homogeneity, and in the human body it emits the greatest amount of heat. “There are no harmful substances in the world, there are harmful quantities in the world” (DI Mendeleev, dissertation “Discourse on the combination of alcohol with water”). This monograph later became the basis for the creation of the hydration theory of solutions. But there was not a word about vodka in it, let alone a recipe for an “ideal” Russian vodka.
Russian vodka manufacturers and vodka distributors began to actively involve the name of Mendeleev in advertising their vodka products, build legends for their vodka brands. Dmitry Ivanovich appears before his contemporaries not just as the inventor of the “ideal” Russian vodka, but as a great connoisseur and connoisseur of the 40-degree national drink.
Let's turn to the history of chemistry. It is known that one of Mendeleev's scientific directions was the study of alcohol solutions. It was noticed that when mixing, for example, 50 ml of water and 50 ml of alcohol, 100 ml of vodka is not obtained, but only 98 ml. Where did the volume go? This is the question that Dmitry Ivanovich studied. He conducted a series of experiments with solutions from 0% (by volume) to 100% water and, conversely, from 0% to 100% alcohol. And every time I measured the volume deficit. I got certain results and noticed that the mass of water and alcohol did not change when mixed, that is, the mass of vodka was equal to the sum of the masses of alcohol and water in solution. This means that the density has increased, that is, the distance between the molecules of substances has decreased. But why? And Mendeleev finds the answer to this question: bonds arise between water and alcohol molecules.
Indeed, the reason for the decrease in volume is the formation of hydrogen bonds between the molecules of alcohol and water. Moreover, thanks to these connections, the distance became smaller, and as a result, a volume deficit arose. Later, scientists proved the mechanism of hydrogen bond formation - due to free electron pairs at oxygen atoms.
On the basis of these experiments, Dmitry Ivanovich developed the chemical theory of solutions, according to which a solution is a homogeneous system consisting of the products of the interaction of solvent particles and a solute (solvates - in the general case, hydrates - in the case of water); and dissolution is a chemical process and is a chemical reaction. That's what the scientist actually proved, and he measured the heat effects of dissolution. And so it turned out a 40% solution of alcohol in water. As for the invention of vodka by D.I. Mendeleev as a drink, one must understand that this is a by-product of his scientific research.
Dmitry Ivanovich experimentally studied the nature of solutions and their properties. He designed scales for weighing gaseous and solid bodies, in 1859 - a device for determining the density of a liquid (pycnometer). In the 1880s he published the work "Investigation of aqueous solutions by specific gravity."
In 1884, at the height of research on oil, he again returned to the problem of hydration theory. On May 7, 1887, at the Russian Physicochemical Society, he made a report on the existence of hydrates of a certain composition in a solution of alcohol in water. In this report, Mendeleev states that three alcohol hydrates are formed in the solution: one alcohol molecule with twelve, three and one water molecules. An aqueous solution of alcohol, as well as a solution of sulfuric acid, phenol, alkalis and other compounds, served for him as private objects for the general theory.
Since 1893, on the initiative of Emperor Alexander III, under the leadership of the Minister of Finance Sergei Yulievich Witte, a drinking reform is being prepared in the country. To develop a drinking monopoly, the minister turns to scientists, technology, jurisprudence and trade workers for help. A year later, a Commission was formed to streamline the production and trade circulation of beverages containing alcohol. Mendeleev spoke to this Commission at the end of 1895. The speech dealt exclusively with excise issues, and had nothing to do with the technology and strength of vodka.
The use by some Russian vodka companies of the name of the great Russian scientist D.I. Mendeleev is nothing but misleading the buyer, an attempt to attract a famous name to advertise their products.
Cooking alcohols
Instead of chemical leavening agents, you can add wine, cognac or vodka to the dough. Any baked goods will significantly improve their qualities: yeast dough - germination and rise, if you add a few drops of any alcohol. The friability of the brushwood is given by an alcohol additive. Pancakes baked with the addition of a spoonful of vodka become airy and porous. If you add a glass of beer instead of milk or kefir to the pancake dough, the pancakes will turn out to be thin and lacy.
Confectioners add alcohol or vodka to heated chocolate to make it hard and brittle after cooling. Design elements for desserts, cakes and pastries are made from such chocolate. With this chocolate you can draw and cast shapes.
Alcohol stabilizes cold desserts, prevents ice crystals from forming in ice cream, and dissolves fat.
Red wine is able to soften rough meat, eliminate unpleasant odors of offal, game, fish. However, red wine has an unpleasant property: being in long-term contact with these products, it gives them a gray tint, which can be muffled with burnt sugar at the end of preparation.
Red wine is suitable for marinating red meat and fish. For white meat of poultry, oysters, squid, it is better to use white wine, which has a more delicate taste. Wines can be preservative, so it is better to use fortified wines, in which sugar plays the role of preservative.
If you want to add the flavor of an alcoholic beverage to a dish, add it at the beginning of preparation and evaporate for a long time. If you want to convey a rich taste of the drink, it should be added at the end of preparation. In this matter, as in any other, rationality and moderation are necessary. Eating habits are an individual matter.
However, the list of alcohols used in food technology is not limited to ethanol. Alcohols can be found among
zeaxanthin (E161) - dye;
xylitol (E 967) - sweetener;
lutein (E161 b) - dye;
beckons (E 421) - sweetener, filler, carrier,
menthol - flavoring;
polyvinyl alcohol - film former;
polyethylene glycol (E1521) - antifoam, solvent;
propylene glycol (E1520) - moisture retaining agent, refrigerant, solvent, stabilizer;
sorbitol (E 420) - filler, carrier, sweetener,
humectant, encapsulating agent.
In the world, the most important of the saturated monohydric alcohols (alkanols) are ethyl, propyl, isopropyl alcohol, as well as butyl, amyl and higher fatty alcohols. From cyclic and aromatic alcohols - cyclohexanol, 2-ethylhexanol, phenylethyl and benzyl alcohols; from glycols and polyols - ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, glycerin, pentaerythritol.
31.01.2015 at 19:21, views: 35495The time has come to celebrate the anniversary of one of the most "epoch-making" events in Russian and even world history. 150 years ago, on January 31, 1865, the outstanding Russian chemist Dmitry Mendeleev presented to the scientific community the results of his research "On the combination of alcohol with water", proving that the optimal strength of an alcohol-vodka solution during its mass production should be 40 degrees. This day is considered to be the birthday of classic Russian vodka.
But is it right? And what did Dmitry Ivanovich actually discover in his legendary work? Chemist Pavel Pribytkov helped the MK correspondent to figure it out.
In fact, the "newborn" is much older than 150 years old. The inhabitants of our country got acquainted with “fire water” more than four centuries before the optimization of its composition by Mendeleev.
As historians have found out, the first "coming" of vodka to the Russian land took place in 1429. Then this "potion" was brought to us from Genoa. However, having seen the sad results of the alcohol solution, the authorities immediately banned further mass import of the product into the country. Almost a hundred years after this, the "white" in Russia was used only as a medicine. Doctors gave a maximum of half a spoon to patients suffering from, for example, stomach cramps, headaches.
The Russians borrowed the word “vodka” (“vudka”) from their Polish neighbors. True, in the original version, our great-grandfathers called this term such strong drinks that had a color. That is, various kinds of tinctures - on herbs, berries ... And the colorless "gorloder" for several centuries was called "bread wine". The final transformation of "wine" into "vodka" took place only in the 19th century.
Tricks with "fire water"
In the literature, you can find references to the fact that the results of long studies led Mendeleev to an unambiguous conclusion: the most "correct" strength of an alcoholic solution intended for "ingestion" should be 40 degrees. This is how our "branded" Russian vodka appeared ...
This is a legend that is very far from the real situation, - explains Pavel Pribytkov. - From the point of view of science and its practical application, everything is far from so simple. Many "experts on the subject" mention that, they say, "Mendeleev's" mixture has the best taste for the sensations of a person who drinks it. But this is not the case. In fact, as the researchers found out, vodka with a strength of about 45 degrees would be the most "tasty" (here, by the way, you can see that samples of elite spirits are close to this indicator - whiskey, cognac, tequila ...)
Our traditional "fire water" still falls short of this indicator - and, moreover, exclusively for utilitarian economic reasons. And then it's time to return to Mendeleev's work. Carrying out experiments on the preparation of alcohol-vodka mixtures, he became convinced that their formation is fraught with "tricks". For example, if you combine half a liter of pure alcohol and half a liter of water, the result is not a liter of solution at all, but much less. The answer is simple: in the process of fusion, alcohol and water enter into a chemical reaction, which leads to the formation of a new molecular compound - an alcohol hydrate. And one hydrate molecule turns out to be smaller in size than the total size of the "related" molecules of water and alcohol that formed it. As a result, the same "trick" with a decrease in the final volume of liquid: the external effect is such that when water and alcohol merge, part of the solution "evaporated" somewhere, "shrinkage" and "shrinkage" of the valuable product occurred.
The "miracles" do not end there. As Mendeleev found out, with different quantitative ratios of the combined water and alcohol, different hydrates are obtained, and as a result, the percentage of the "evaporated" liquid is different.
That is, by combining, say, 700 "cubes" of alcohol with 300 "cubes" of water, we get one final volume, and when combining 600 and 400 "cubes", respectively, another?
Yes. And this is where serious "conflicts of interest" arise. If you take care of the taste and quality as much as possible, then you need to bottle 43-45-degree vodka, but, alas, Dmitry Ivanovich, in his 150-year-old research, found out that when receiving an alcoholic vodka solution of such strength, “ shrinkage "will be very great, and this, of course, is no good for industrial production. From the point of view of the producer of "fire water" it is beneficial to dilute alcohol "thinner": the "disappearance" of the solution as a result of a chemical process will be small. However, the resulting "white" strength of, say, 25-30 degrees is such a nasty thing that few people want to drink!
As a result, according to the results given in Dmitry Ivanovich's dissertation, it turned out that it is most advisable to drain the liquids mentioned here in such a weight proportion: for every 1000 grams of water, about 850 grams of pure alcohol. The result is a mixture with a strength of about 40 degrees, which by its taste does not differ so much from the "elite", the most "delicious" "white" drink at 43-45 degrees, but the "shrinkage" during its production is much less. This solution was eventually legalized in Russia under the name of "Russian vodka".
Shock argument
At the height of her "reign" in the Russian Empire, thousands of entrepreneurs were engaged in the production of vodka. In Moscow alone in the middle of the last century, according to official statistics, there were over 300 large and small vodka enterprises.
To win the battle for the consumer, many of the owners have resorted to different moves. Someone improved the quality, someone played on lowering prices to the detriment of taste ... One of the most creative "vodka kings" was Moscow merchant Nikolai Shustov.
At the end of 1863, he received the appropriate permission and opened a vodka factory on Maroseyka. At the same time, organizing his alcohol production, Nikolai Leontyevich decided firmly: his vodka will only be of excellent quality, even if for this the money costs will have to be increased significantly.
Shustov's product was brought to condition in several ways, which the owner himself learned about in his time from his father and grandfather. First, birch charcoal was poured into the raw alcohol. The resulting pitch-black slurry was kept for several days in large, tight-fitting containers, regularly turning them over. Thoroughly filtered, returning the alcohol to its transparency. At the next stage, to draw out the remnants of the booze, Nikolai Leontyevich, according to his father's recipe, used raw egg whites. It was expensive; every dozen buckets of buckets required a bucket of proteins to process!
The quality of vodka, as you know, is highly dependent on the water used to make it. Shustov did not begin to breed the economy here either. The Shustov workers traveled by horse-drawn water carriage to Mytishchi - to the famous Grom Klyuch (it was believed that it was the Mytishchi springs that provided the most delicious water in the Moscow region).
Following his grandfather's recipes, Nikolai Leontyevich flavored his bread wine, letting it brew a little on honey or on dried grapes. Only after that was the Shustov "nectar" ready.
Some true connoisseurs immediately noticed the appearance of such high-quality booze on sale and tried to buy it. But there weren't many of them. The rest of the drinking Moscow ignored Shustov's product, preferring to him the products of competing winemakers - more familiar, cheaper ...
In the fall of 1864, a wave of scandals that followed practically the same scenario suddenly fell upon the drinking houses and taverns in Moscow and large provincial cities. Two or three young men appeared in the "temple of Bacchus" and made an order: "A bottle of Shustov's vodka with a good snack!" In response to the sexual statement that this kind of vodka was not available, the visitors were indignant: “How is it, you have here, judging by the sign, a serious establishment, and suddenly - there is no best vodka in Russia! Ugliness! You're kidding us! " A mess immediately began. The inn attendant received a couple of slaps in the face from angry guests, overturned chairs rumbled, plates clattered to the floor ... The police came to the noise and took the rowdy to the station. A protocol was drawn up, the judge appointed a fine ...
Such scandals were discussed with pleasure by the townsfolk, newspapers wrote about them. As a result, within a few days all Moscow and the province knew about the notorious Shustov vodka.
Few facts
In 1765, Empress Catherine issued a special decree, granting the right to produce alcohol and make "bread wine" only to persons of noble origin. And the peasants were officially allowed to cook "little white" (that is, in fact - moonshine) only before the biggest holidays: Easter, Christmas, Shrovetide and in limited quantities - exclusively for personal consumption, but not for sale.
In the mid-1920s, after a long period of existence of the "dry law" on the territory of Russia, vodka reappeared on the wide sale, popularly nicknamed "Rykovka" - after the then Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars A. Rykov. Unlike the classic "Mendeleev" forty degrees, this drink had a strength of 38 degrees. In this regard, an anecdote went for a walk around the country: Nikolai II meets Lenin in the next world and asks: “What, Vladimir Ilyich, have you released vodka? How many degrees? " "38." "Eh, dear, and was it worth it for you to make a revolution because of some extra two degrees ?!"
During the very first massive German air raid on Moscow on July 22, 1941, the buildings of the distillery were set on fire and destroyed by bombs. According to eyewitnesses, the flames and black smoke covered half of the sky.
Much has been written about the military parade that took place in the front-line capital on November 7, 1941. However, almost nowhere is there a small “touch” mentioned about this legendary event. It turns out that by order of the People's Commissar of Defense, all the soldiers who took part in the parade on Red Square on the same evening were given an additional special ration - 100 grams of vodka.
In 1982, the International Arbitration Court at its regular meeting decided to recognize the priority for the USSR in the field of vodka creation. The judges confirmed that it should be considered the original Russian alcoholic beverage.
No it is not true. Great Russian scientist Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleevhe had nothing to do with the establishment of a 40-degree standard for vodka.
Didn't Mendeleev write scientific papers that vodka should be 40 degrees?
No, Mendeleev does not have a single scientific work that mentions vodka.
And what, then, is Mendeleev's dissertation "On the combination of alcohol with water"?
In it, the scientist investigated the properties of water-alcohol mixtures, but not in order to drink the resulting liquids. The purpose of the experiments is to explain the physicochemical phenomena associated with dissolution processes. In particular, Mendeleev was able to establish that a mixture with an alcohol concentration of about 46% (by weight) corresponds to the greatest compression.
Why, then, do they write on vodka bottles that it was Mendeleev who set the 40-degree standard for this drink?
This is a folk myth, which in his book "History of Vodka" in 1991 developed historian and culinary expert William Pokhlebkin.The author interpreted the significance of the scientific research of the great Russian chemist in his own way. “By the middle of 1864 Mendeleev reached in his calculations the specific gravity of alcohol solutions in water up to 36 degrees. Only 4 degrees separates him from vodka (optimal 40 degrees), he is on the verge of a new discovery, he penetrates the secrets of vodka, having established how much the qualities of aqueous-alcoholic solutions change, depending on the achievement of a certain degree, and by the end of November 1864 these conclusions pour into a dissertation, ”Pokhlebkin writes in his book.
What prompted Pokhlebkin to write the book "History of Vodka"?
The reason for writing the monograph, according to Pokhlebkin himself, was a loud dispute at the end of the 1970s. Then Warsaw appealed to the International Arbitration Court with the requirement to recognize that only alcoholic drinks of Polish production have the right to be called "vodka". In support of this claim, some historical documents were even presented. The Poles argued that these papers are irrefutable proof that only Poland can be considered the birthplace of vodka. But the International Arbitration Court did not heed these arguments.
When was the 40-degree standard for vodka established in Russia?
The first decrees establishing a 40-degree standard for vodka date back to 1843, when Mendeleev was only 9 years old. Thus, the authorities regulated the collection of excise taxes and fought against those who diluted the alcoholic drink.
That is, 40 degrees is still a Russian invention?
Not. The strength of skate, whiskey, grappa, gin and other spirits is about the same 40 degrees.
Did Mendeleev like vodka?
Mendeleev may have tasted vodka sometime, but no more. Here is what the scientist himself wrote about this alcoholic drink: “I’m not talking about the wine monopoly, which I consider not only very appropriate here, but also relatively easily applicable, because the matter here concerns the consumption of such a product, without which people naturally continue to exist. they may well develop, because by personal example I know that, being a non-lazy worker, I have never drunk vodka in my life, and I even know its taste very little, no more than the taste of many salts and poisons. "
Hello dear readers of my blog! After the last holiday, I thought: why did they come up with vodka, and who invented alcohol? It turned out that alcoholic beverages have been known since the Middle Ages.
For the first time they were received by alchemists in experiments on the invention of the philosopher's stone, they derived a formula for a new substance, having tasted which, endowed with miraculous properties and called living water.
The ideal percentage of 40% alcohol and 60% water was made by the famous Russian chemist-inventor Dmitry Mendeleev. Now let's take a closer look at the history of the creation of the most famous alcoholic drink.
What led to the emergence of alcoholic beverages
It is possible to obtain alcohol from any fermentation products. The body also produces alcohols after consuming fermented milk products or fruits.
Of course, the human body cannot be reproduced, but under artificial conditions it became possible to obtain alcohol only after the invention of a device that could ensure the distillation of fermented products. It is based on evaporation with further condensation of vapors into an alcohol solution (distillation process).
Information about the discoverers is contradictory. From some sources it is known that the distillation of mash was discovered in Central Asia by the Arabs. This discovery is attributed even before the tenth century.
Others, it is quite reasonable, believe that the alchemists of the Middle Ages, trying to find the philosopher's stone, easily invented the distillation process, which was later called distillation.
Who came up with the name
The first information about alcohol comes from the Middle Ages. The name comes from the Latin word spiritus, which means soul. The discovery of alcohol is associated with the distillation of wine, which was used for alchemy. Wine was made long before strong drinks were obtained.
The name "vodka" was first coined in Moscow at the end of the nineteenth century. Before that, the drink obtained from wine was called boiled, bitter or bread wine.
Who opened the first pub in Moscow
In the fifteenth century, the production of bread wine was monopolized by John III. And already Ivan the Terrible opened the first drinking establishment - "Tsarev tavern". There were only a few types of vodka on the menu. No snacks were sold, resulting in very rapid drunkenness. From this time, the statistics of robberies, injuries and corruption on the basis of drunkenness begins.
In 1649, Russia began to fight against drunkenness. A royal decree was created, which raises the price of vodka several times, and regulates the sale of only one glass (143.5 g) to one person. The law had no force in society.
Catherine's reform
Taking care of the treasury during the Northern War, Peter the Great levied a tax on the production and sale of vodka. Already Catherine II exempted the producers of alcoholic beverages from taxes, but vodka had to be produced by a special method and only by the upper class. The rest of society could only buy it.
From now on, vodka, after distillation, was purified with coagulants. Proteins, usually milk or egg proteins, were used as cleansers. The essence of the method: the protein, getting into the alcohols, begins to curdle together with the fusel oils contained in it.
The resulting mixture precipitated, which constituted a significant part of the product. Six liters of purified vodka accounts for a liter of milk or half a liter of egg whites.
Then they came up with special flavors in the vodka. At that time, these were natural additives from anise, lemon, pepper, mint, dill and others.
The name corresponded to the added products: Anise, Lemon, Horseradish, Dill. The wealthy estates had an entire list of products: from A to Z. Cocktails from various types of vodka were in vogue.
The measure "half a liter" was also invented in Russia. Its predecessor is a bottle (1.23 l). There was an exact measure of weight: the mass of a bucket of vodka was 30 pounds. This eliminated tampering, because water is heavier than alcohol, which increases the overall weight.
The emergence of strong alcohol in Europe
In 1881, vodka became one of the main exported products in Russia. For the first time it was presented in France, where it fell to the taste of the most sophisticated society. After 10 years, Nikolai the First abolished the state monopoly of alcoholic beverages in Russia.
This led to the enrichment of a certain circle of people. Since 1851, a tax-excise system has been introduced. The state produces alcohol and sells it to tax dealers. Then the excise system was introduced.
The inaccessibility of high-quality goods for the lower strata led to the fact that they came up with production from low-quality potato raw materials. This triggered an increase in alcoholism and hit the health of the nation, which lowered incomes and led to fraud.
Since 1881, the state began to develop measures to combat drunkenness:
- They were allowed to sell vodka in small portions (previously, “take-away” drinks were poured into buckets, because bottles were not produced in Russia).
- They were obliged to sell alcoholic beverages in establishments where they prepared snack dishes (inns).
Subsequently, high-quality rye vodka was produced for export, and in Russia they were content with a cheap potato substitute.
Mendeleev "nahimichil"
In order to improve the quality of the domestic product, in 1894 the production of vodka was transferred to state enterprises. A program was created, designed for several years, and a commission headed by the famous chemist Mendeleev. The tasks were set:
- Develop technologies for deep cleaning of the product;
- Promote the culture of correct vodka consumption;
- Improve conditions in catering facilities.
In general, the measures were supposed to lead to the elimination of home brewing and reduce the harmful consequences.
Special merits in the development of a quality drink belong to Mendeleev. He investigated the reactions that occur when vodka is combined with water. It has been proven for the first time that as a result of mixing vodka with water, a decrease in volume occurs.
Therefore, the greater the degree, the smaller the volume. For example, mixing alcohol with an equal amount of water will result in less volume than usual. Mendeleev invented a formula for mixing vodka with water based on the mass of substances.
He proved that for an ideal ratio, there should be three H2O per alcohol molecule. The greatest compression is obtained at a ratio of 45.88% alcohol to 54.12% water. This gives a 40 degree drink, which can only be obtained by measuring the ingredients in volumes.
The weight of a liter of quality vodka is 953 grams. An increase in weight leads to a decrease in strength and vice versa. The quality standard of vodka was patented in Russia in 1894, its name is “Moscow special”.
The measures taken led to the streamlining of trade (it was conducted in a strictly timed manner), filling the budget and reducing drunkenness.
This is how vodka was produced, which is known in the modern world. The history of its creation is long and tragic, intertwined with immense enrichment and poverty. Use this product with health benefits. Subscribe to my blog, leave reviews, and share recipes for strong, healthy drinks.
All the best!