Vodka (Russian: водка, Ukrainian: горілка, Polish: wódka, Czech: vodka, Slovak: vodka, German: Wodka) is a distilled beverage and one of the world's most popular liquors. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made from fermented substances like grain and potatoes.
Traditionally prepared vodkas had an alcoholic content of 38% by volume. Today, the standard Polish, Russian and Lithuanian vodkas are 40% abv (80 proof), although many non-export Russian brands are sold at 38%. The European Union has established a minimum of 37.5% alcohol by volume content for any European vodka to be named as such. Illegally homemade vodka, referred to as "samogonka" (transliteration of "moonshine"), is sometimes sold in Russia and Ukraine, with an abv as high as 62%, which is partly due to its poor distillation.
Vodka is traditionally drunk straight up in the vodka belt countries of Eastern Europe and around the Baltic Sea. It is also commonly used in cocktails and mixed drinks, such as the Bloody Mary, the Screwdriver, the Sex on the Beach, the White Russian, the Black Russian, the vodka tonic, and the vodka martini
Traditionally prepared vodkas had an alcoholic content of 38% by volume. Today, the standard Polish, Russian and Lithuanian vodkas are 40% abv (80 proof), although many non-export Russian brands are sold at 38%. The European Union has established a minimum of 37.5% alcohol by volume content for any European vodka to be named as such. Illegally homemade vodka, referred to as "samogonka" (transliteration of "moonshine"), is sometimes sold in Russia and Ukraine, with an abv as high as 62%, which is partly due to its poor distillation.
Vodka is traditionally drunk straight up in the vodka belt countries of Eastern Europe and around the Baltic Sea. It is also commonly used in cocktails and mixed drinks, such as the Bloody Mary, the Screwdriver, the Sex on the Beach, the White Russian, the Black Russian, the vodka tonic, and the vodka martini
