The Dawn of Vodka
Distilled Spirits in Sixteenth-Century Muscovy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 16612462 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alexandr Gorokhovskiy (Erasmus University Rotterdam, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue | 3-4 |
| Pages | 841-868 |
| Publication date | 2024-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sixteenth Century Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0361-0160 • E-ISSN: 2326-0726 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/732390 |
| OpenAlex | W4405464375 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 4 |
This paper challenges the popular opinion that it was the revenue-seeking government that imposed low-cost and highly addictive spirits on Muscovites in mid-sixteenth century. In reality, the development of vodka in Russia was very similar to what was happening elsewhere in Europe: at first used in therapeutic purposes, distilled alcohol gradually started to be consumed purely for enjoyment. But the pivotal moment in the growth of spirits in Muscovy was the influx of foreign experts, who obtained an exclusive right to make and sell “burnt wine.” Among those, the key role was played by German expatriates brought to the Russian capital during the Livonian War. They have quickly abused the distilling privilege to such an extent that Ivan IV ordered to destroy Moscow’s German quarter and withdrew all the previously granted freedoms, suggesting that the Russian authorities at the time were trying to curtail the consumption of spirits rather than foster it
Ancient history · Art · Traditional medicine · American History and Culture · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Culinary Culture and Tourism · History · Medicine
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |