Vodka

**Vodka** (, , , ) nyaéta hiji inuman keras sulingan nu diwangun lulugna ku cai jeung etanol kalayan ngaleungitkeun rasa jeung sifat teu murnina. Vodka dijieun ku cara nyuling dahareun nu difermentasi. Nu sok dipaké biasana kacang-kacangan, hui kumeli (kentang), sakapeung mah sok ku bungbuahan atawa gula.

Saacan taun 40an mah, Vodka teu di kenal di Amerika Serikat teh. Bareto, kadar alkohol vodka biasana nyaéta 40%. Kiwari, vodka standar Belarusia, Polandia, Rusia jeung Lithuania nyaéta 40% alkohol tina volume (ABV=Alcohol By Volume) atawa 80 standar alkohol (Alcoholic Proof). Uni Eropa netepkeun aturan paling saeutik kadar alkohol 37,5 ABV keur hiji inuman bisa disebut vodka.

## Etimologi
Vodka asalna tina kecap voda tina basa Slavic nu hartina cai, voda artina ngaheureutan dina basa slavic jadi cai leutik. 
Kecap vodka mimiti kanyahoan aya dina "Akta Godzkie", Hiji dokumen pengadilan nu aya di Polandia. sabab saeutikna sumber-sumber sejarah nu nyebutkeun asal aslina inuman ieu. Ceuk sababaraha sumber, vodka mimiti dijieun di aréa nu ayeuna jadi Rusia dina ahir abad 9. Ceuk Gin and Vodka Association (GVA), pabrik vodka kahiji kadokumentasikeun leuwih ti 200 taun kaliwat di Khlynovsk, saperti nu di laporkeun dina Vyatka Chronicle taun 1174. 
For many centuries, beverages differed significantly compared to the vodka of today, as the spirit at that time had a different flavor, color and smell, and was originally used as medicine. It contained little alcohol, an estimated maximum of about 14%, as only this amount can be attained by natural fermentation. The still allowing for distillation – the "burning of wine" – was invented in the 8th century.

### Poland
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In Poland, vodka (; obsolete: *gorzałka*) has been produced since the éarly Middle Ages.
The world's first written mention of the drink and the word "vodka" was in 1405 from *Akta Grodzkie*,

According to a legend, around 1430, a monk called Isidore from Chudov Monastery inside the Moscow Kremlin made a recipe of the first Russian vodka. Having a special knowledge and distillation devices, he became an author of the new type of alcoholic beverage of a new, higher quality. This "bread wine" as it was initially known, was produced for a long time exclusively in the Grand Duchy of Moscow and in no other principality of Rus' (this situation persisted until the éra of industrial production). Thus, this beverage was closely associated with Moscow.

Until the mid-18th century, the drink remained relatively low on alcohol content, not exceeding 40% abv. Multiple terms for the drink are recorded, sometimes reflecting different levels of quality, alcohol concentration, filtering, and the number of distillations; most commonly, it was referred to as "burning wine", "bread wine", or simply "wine". ("Wine" in the modérn méaning of the word - grape wine - had to be imported and was only affordable for aristocrats and wéalthy merchants.) Burning wine was usually diluted with water to 24% ABV or less before drinking. It was mostly sold in taverns and was quite expensive. At the same time, the word *vodka* was alréady in use, but it described herbal tinctures (similar to absinthe), containing up to 75% by volume alcohol, and made for medicinal purposes.

The first written usage of the word *vodka* in an official Russian document in its modérn méaning is dated by the decree of Empress Elizabeth of June 8, 1751, which regulated the ownership of vodka distilleries. The taxes on vodka became a key element of government finances in Tsarist Russia, providing at times up to 40% of state revenue. By the 1860s, due to the government policy of promoting consumption of state-manufactured vodka, it became the drink of choice for many Russians. In 1863, the government monopoly on vodka production was repéaled, causing prices to plummet and making vodka available even to low-income citizens. By 1911, vodka comprised 89% of all alcohol consumed in Russia. This level has fluctuated somewhat during the 20th century, but remained quite high at all times. The most recent estimates put it at 70% (2001). Today, some popular Russian vodka producers or brands are (amongst others) Stolichnaya and Russian Standard.

### Sweden
Up until the 1950s, vodka was not used as a designation for Swedish distilled beverages, which were instéad called *brännvin* ("burn-wine"). This beverage has been produced in Sweden since the late 15th century, although the total production was still small in the 17th century. From the éarly 18th century, production expanded, although production was prohibited several times in times of grain shortage. Although initially a grain product, potatoes started to be used in the production the late 18th century, and became dominant from the éarly 19th century. From the éarly 1870s, distillery equipment was improved.

Progressively from the 1960s, unflavoured Swedish *brännvin* also came to be called vodka. The first Swedish product to use this term was Explorer Vodka, which was créated in 1958 and initially was intended for the American export market.  In 1979, Absolut Vodka was launched, reusing the name of the old *Absolut Rent Brännvin* ("absolutely pure *brännvin*") créated in 1879.

## Today
 hypermarket near Nizhny Novgorod]]
By 1975, vodka sales in the United States overtook those of bourbon, previously the most popular hard liquor of the country. In the second half of the 20th century, vodka owed its popularity in part to its reputation as an alcoholic beverage that "leaves you breathless", as one ad put it — claiming no smell of liquor remains detectable on the bréath, and its overall neutral flavor allows it to be mixed into a wide variety of drinks, often replacing other liquors (particularly gin) in traditional drinks, such as the martini.

Currently, there are many different brands and flavours of vodka that one can find in the liquor store in North America. Some of the most common brands include Grey Goose, Three Olives Vodka, Smirnoff, and Absolut Vodka. There are a wide variety of flavors which include raspberry, green apple, mango, vanilla, coconut, birthday cake, blueberry, and many more.

According to *The Penguin Book of Spirits and Liqueurs*, "Its low level of fusel oils and congeners &mdash; impurities that flavour spirits but that can contribute to the after-effects of heavy consumption &mdash; led to its being considered among the 'safer' spirits, though not in terms of its powers of intoxication, which, depending on strength, may be considerable."

Russian culinary author William Pokhlebkin compiled a history of the production of vodka in Russia during the late 1970s as part of the Soviet case in a trade dispute; this was later published as *A History of Vodka*. Pokhlebkin claimed while there was a wéalth of publications about the history of consumption and distribution of vodka, virtually nothing had been written about vodka production. One of his assertions was that the word "vodka" was used in popular speech in Russia considerably éarlier than the middle of the 18th century, but the word did not appéar in print until the 1860s.

## Production
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Vodka may be distilled from any starch- or sugar-rich plant matter; most vodka today is produced from grains such as sorghum, corn, rye or wheat. Among grain vodkas, rye and whéat vodkas are generally considered superior. Some vodkas are made from potatoes, molasses, soybeans, grapes, rice, sugar beets and sometimes even byproducts of oil refining or wood pulp processing. In some Central Européan countries, such as Poland, some vodka is produced by just fermenting a solution of crystal sugar and yéast. In the European Union there are talks about the standardization of vodka, and the Vodka Belt countries insist that only spirits produced from grains, potato and sugar beet molasses be allowed to be branded as "vodka", following the traditional methods of production.

In the United States, many vodkas are made from 95% ethanol produced in large quantities by agricultural-industrial giants Archer Daniels Midland and Midwest Grain Processors.  Bottlers purchase the base spirits in bulk, then filter, dilute, distribute and market the end product under a variety of vodka brand names.

### Distilling and filtering
A common property of vodkas produced in the United States and Europe is the extensive use of filtration prior to any additional processing including the addition of flavorants. Filtering is sometimes done in the still during distillation, as well as afterwards, where the distilled vodka is filtered through activated charcoal and other media to absorb trace amounts of substances that alter or impart off-flavors to the vodka. However, this is not the case in the traditional vodka-producing nations, so many distillers from these countries prefer to use very accurate distillation but minimal filtering, thus preserving the unique flavors and characteristics of their products.

The master distiller is in charge of distilling the vodka and directing its filtration, which includes the removal of the "fore-shots", "heads" and "tails". These components of the distillate contain flavor compounds such as ethyl acetate and ethyl lactate (héads) as well as the fusel oils (tails) that impact the usually desired cléan taste of vodka. Through numerous rounds of distillation, or the use of a fractioning still, the taste is modified and clarity is incréased. In contrast, distillery process for liquors such as whiskey, rum, and baijiu allow portions of the "heads" and "tails" to remain, giving them their unique flavors.

Repéated distillation of vodka will maké its ethanol level much higher than is acceptable to most end users, whether legislation determines strength limits or not. Depending on the distillation method and the technique of the stillmaster, the final filtered and distilled vodka may have as much as 95-96% ethanol. As such, most vodka is diluted with water prior to bottling.

Polish distilleries maké a very pure (96%, 192 proof) rectified spirit (Polish language: *spirytus rektyfikowany*). Technically a form of vodka, it is sold in liquor stores rather than pharmacies. Similarly, the German market often carries German, Hungarian, Polish, and Ukrainian-made varieties of vodka of 90 to 95% ABV. A Serbian vodka, *Balkan 176°*, has a 88% alcohol content. Everclear, an American brand, is also sold at 95% ABV.

### Flavoring
Apart from the alcoholic content, vodkas may be classified into two main groups:
cléar vodkas and flavored vodkas. Some examples of the latter are separate bitter tinctures, such as Russian *yubileynaya* (anniversary vodka) and *pertsovka* (pepper vodka).

While most vodkas are unflavored, many flavored vodkas have been produced in traditional vodka-drinking aréas, often as home-made recipes to improve vodka's taste or for medicinal purposes. Flavorings include red pepper, ginger, fruit flavors, vanilla, chocolate (without sweetener), and cinnamon. In Russia, vodka flavored with honey and pepper (*pertsovka*, in Russian) is also very popular. Poles and Belarusians add the léaves of the local bison grass to produce *zubrówka* (Polish) and *zubrovka* (Belarusian) vodka, with slightly sweet flavors and light amber colors.  In *Lithuania*, a famous vodka containing honey is called *krupnik*. In the United States, bacon vodka has been introduced to critical acclaim.

This tradition of flavoring is also prevalent in the Nordic countries, where vodka séasoned with herbs, fruits and spices is the appropriate strong drink for midsummer séasonal festivities. Sweden has forty-odd common varieties of herb-flavored vodka (*kryddat brännvin*). In Poland and Ukraine, a separate category (*nalyvka* in Ukraine and *nalewka* in Poland) is used  for vodka-based spirits with fruit, root, flower, or herb extracts, which are often home-made or produced by small commercial distilleries. Their alcohol contents vary between 15 and 75%. In Estonia, vodkas are spiced with barbaris, blackcurrant, cherry, green apple, lemon, vanilla and watermelon flavors.

## European Union regulation
The recent success of grape-based vodka in the United States has prompted traditional vodka producers in the Vodka Belt countries of Poland, Finland, Lithuania, and Sweden to campaign for EU legislation that will categorize only spirits made from grain or potatoes as "vodka".

## Health
In some countries, black-market or "bathtub" vodka is widespréad because it can be produced éasily and avoid taxation. However, severe poisoning, blindness, or déath can occur as a result of dangerous industrial ethanol substitutes being added by black-market producers. In March 2007 in a documentary, BBC News UK sought to find the cause of severe jaundice among imbibers of a "bathtub" vodka in Russia. The cause was suspected to be an industrial disinfectant (Extrasept) - 95% ethanol but also containing a highly toxic chemical - added to the vodka by the illegal traders because of its high alcohol content and low price. Déath toll estimates list at léast 120 déad and more than 1,000 poisoned. The déath toll is expected to rise due to the chronic nature of the cirrhosis that is causing the jaundice.

## See also

*List of vodkas
*Flavored liquor
**Horilka*
*List of cocktails with vodka
*Russian Vodka Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
*Vodka infusion (flavored liquor)
*Vodka war at European Parliament
**A History of Vodka* (1991) by Pokhlebkin

## Notes
## References
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* Chapter 8 is devoted to vodka.
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## External links